Google on Thursday had announced a new real—time location sharing feature of Google Maps available for both Android and iOS users. Under this feature, users will be able to share their real-time location with anyone and the people they share with will be able to see the location on Android, iPhone, mobile web and desktop.
Not many know that in year 2009 when smartphones were still in their infancy, Google announced something called Latitude. But because of privacy concerns raised by many Google had to shut down Latitude, and it was discontinued on August 9, 2013.
Four years later after discontinuing Latitude, the very same feature is relaunched however the privacy concerns still persist at least in India [source].
This time however, with the relaunch, Google kept its focus on the benefits of sharing location - for example, allowing parents to keep track of their smartphone-toting children - not fear-mongering of how it could go wrong.
Notably, similar tracking feature is already available on other apps such as Glympse, founded by former Microsoft employees, has offered this function for years. Although it isn't as wide-ranging, Apple also offers a tracking option called "Find My Friends" on its iPhone, iPad and Watch.
In 2015, an Ahmedabad, India based filmmaker turned tech-entrepreneur Ritam Bhatnagar had incorporated a startup called wWhere, that aims to solve the daily problem of exchanging locations with people and businesses around. The startup and its app however didn't do well
Not many know that in year 2009 when smartphones were still in their infancy, Google announced something called Latitude. But because of privacy concerns raised by many Google had to shut down Latitude, and it was discontinued on August 9, 2013.
Four years later after discontinuing Latitude, the very same feature is relaunched however the privacy concerns still persist at least in India [source].
This time however, with the relaunch, Google kept its focus on the benefits of sharing location - for example, allowing parents to keep track of their smartphone-toting children - not fear-mongering of how it could go wrong.
Notably, similar tracking feature is already available on other apps such as Glympse, founded by former Microsoft employees, has offered this function for years. Although it isn't as wide-ranging, Apple also offers a tracking option called "Find My Friends" on its iPhone, iPad and Watch.
In 2015, an Ahmedabad, India based filmmaker turned tech-entrepreneur Ritam Bhatnagar had incorporated a startup called wWhere, that aims to solve the daily problem of exchanging locations with people and businesses around. The startup and its app however didn't do well
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