Google Messages finally learns how to share live location

Google has been working on adding live location sharing to Google Messages for a while now. The first reports referencing the feature popped up almost a year ago. It finally made the feature official as part of the March 2026 Feature Drop, but in typical Google fashion, it was nowhere to be seen. It now seems the company is slowly rolling out the feature.

You can already share your location in a conversation in Google Messages. But Google is now adding the option to share your live location, so that it updates in real-time (via Reddit). This feature will be especially useful when you’re running late to meet a friend or family member. You can share your live location so they can track your progress in real time.

Both WhatsApp and Telegram have offered real-time location sharing support for years now.

While I don't see the feature on my Vivo X300 Pro yet, it's available on my Pixel 8 Pro running the latest Android 17 beta. Unlike other icons, the real-time location sharing option appears in green to immediately attract your attention.

There are presets for 1 hour or today only, but you can select the Custom duration option to set a time as short as one minute or as long as 24 hours.

The real-time location sharing option will seemingly work for both RCS and non-RCS conversations. It works through Google's Find Hub, and so, it's unclear how it will work with iPhone users. Presumably, they will get a Google Maps link.

The older "One-time location" option moves to the last. It works like before, sending a Google Maps location link to the recipient.

Live-location sharing in Google Messages was long overdue

When you share a location with a contact, a banner appears in the chat showing how long the location will be shared.

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If live-location sharing is active, a green dot icon will appear in the "+" icon of Google Messages. It will not trigger the green dot indicator in the status bar.

It appears Google is rolling out real-time location sharing in Google Messages to both users on the beta and stable channels in a phased manner. So, the feature could take a while to land on your phone.