Picture This: You’re going to an amusement park with friends and don’t know where your friends are. Suddenly, an idea strikes, you already download the iOS 17 beta update, which comes with a new live location-sharing feature in iMessage. This feature enables you to share live locations with your friend through the iMessage app, and even request their location.
Hey folks! Apple recently rolled out iOS 17, packed with loads of new features and changes, including enhancements to iMessage apps. Before iOS 17, sharing your location on an iPhone using iMessage was a complex task, but now it’s a breeze – in just two taps, you can send your current location to another person. Let’s dive into this post and explore how to share locations on an iPhone through iMessage in iOS 17.
What Is Location Sharing in iOS 17 iMessage?
You probably already know that apps like WhatsApp allow you to share your live location with someone else, so they can find you. Now, Apple has introduced the same feature for iMessage, allowing precise location sharing without the need for Apple Maps or Google Maps.
Many iPhone users are familiar with this feature, as it was available in iOS 16 and older versions. However, in iOS 17, it’s much more user-friendly.
- This feature is exclusive to iPhone/iPad and works with iMessage only. Regular text messages don’t support this feature.
- Both iPhone users must have the iOS 17 version.
- You must enable the Location Service from your iPhone settings. Navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and toggle on Location Services to use this feature.
- Open your iMessage app on your iPhone.
- Select the conversation where you want to share the location.
- Tap the “+” icon in the bottom left corner.
- Choose “Location” in the app drawer.
- Click on “Share” to send your location to another person.
- You’ll then see three options: “Indefinitely,” “Until End Of Day,” or “For One Hour.” Select one.
- After selecting an option, hit the send button.
How to Stop Sharing Location on iPhone
If you mistakenly send your location to share indefinitely, stopping it is simple:
- Open the iMessage conversation where you sent the location.
- Tap on the Map to open it in full-screen mode.
- Click on “Stop Sharing My Location.”
Wondering how to share a different location? Apple allows you to use the Pin Share option:
- Open iMessage Conversation.
- Tap the “+” icon in the bottom left corner.
- Click on “Location.”
- Tap the Pin icon in the top left corner of the map.
- Select your location by dragging and swiping the Apple map position, then click “Send Pin.”
How to Request Location in iMessage
The process is similar to sharing:
- Open iMessage Chat.
- Tap the “+” icon and select a location.
- Click on the “Request” option, and then hit the Send button.
That’s it! This fresh Apple feature in iOS 17 unlocks many hidden functionalities, so you don’t need to rely on WhatsApp or other apps to share live locations. Apple has also introduced new features like Apple Check-In and save-to-voice memos within iMessage. Sharing locations has never been easier, and you can explore more places with this neat feature. If you have any questions, drop a message in the comment box below.
