Share your GPS location with an Android phone Video

Share your GPS location with an Android phone Video Transcript

-We've all been there. You're trying to track down a group of friends in a crowded park on a Sunday afternoon. But telling that you're standing near that one tree in a pack of hipsters isn't very useful when there are dozens of trees and literally hundreds of hipsters. I'm gonna show you a quick way to share your location with your friends using a little more than your Android phone. The easiest way is to use a location sharing service like Google Latitude to keep your pals constantly updated of your whereabouts. However, services like this also require that your friends sign up which they may not be too keen on doing or may not even have access to. So, here's how you send your location to your friends using a little more than Google Maps and a well-placed text message or e-mail. Pop over into the Google Maps app and make sure that your phone has an accurate fix on your location by tapping the Find Me button in the upper right corner of the screen. If you see a gigantic blue circle surrounding your location, then you only have an approximate fix and you'll need to wait a few seconds for your GPS accuracy to improve or move to a spot where you have a better view of the sky. Once you're satisfied with your positioning accuracy, tap on the blue arrow marking your location then tap the text bubble that appears. You'll be brought to a menu that shows more information and options relevant to where you happen to be. The option that you're interested is the one that says Send Location to Others. Tap that and you'll be presented with a variety of sharing options. You can now use your mail client or text messaging app to send your location to your pals. On their end, they'll receive a Google Maps link that can be used with a Google Maps app on their Android or iPhone and the Google Maps web app on any other phone or computer or opened with any other mapping app that supports Google Maps coordinate system such as MapQuest. You can also use this message for sending any address, business, or meeting place to your friends. Simply search for the business--for example, your favorite burrito spot--and tap a location to bring up the places page. Then tap the More Options icon to share the location complete with street address or turn-by-turn directions with your friends using the Share This Place option and that's all there is to it. You can now hope your friends find you wherever you are or wherever you may be going without compromising your or their privacy. Be sure to check out the Android Atlas blog for even more Android tips and tricks and CNET TV for more awesome how-to videos. This has been Antoine Goodwin showing you how it's done. You could find me right here on CNET.com.