Here’s how you can share location through links:
Built-in phone features work best for this:
- iPhone: Open Maps, tap your location pin, then “Share My Location” - you can send a link via text or email that shows your real-time location
- Android: Use Google Maps, tap the blue dot (your location), select “Share your location” and choose how long to share it
For temporary location sharing:
- Google Maps lets you share live location for set time periods (15 minutes to 3 days)
- Apple’s Find My app allows location sharing between Apple devices
- WhatsApp has built-in live location sharing that works across platforms
What happens when someone clicks the link:
The recipient gets a map view showing the shared location. With live sharing, it updates in real-time until the timer expires.
The key thing is these methods require the phone owner to actively initiate the sharing - there’s no way to remotely activate location sharing just by sending someone a link they click. The person sharing always maintains control over when and how long their location is visible.
This approach works reliably across different devices and doesn’t require installing additional apps.