Jack Wallen strolls you through the process of how to share your location with others utilizing an Android device.
Image: Amjith S/Unsplash A few days ago, my wife and I were seeing something on tv when somebody said, “drop a pin.” Being a happy member of GenX, I had no concept what that meant. Since my spouse handle people of all ages at her job (unlike me, who deals mostly with felines during the day), she immediately understood what it was and wondered how she might do it in Android.
It took me about two seconds to comprehend what she was getting at.
For those of my generation, the idea behind “dropping a pin” centers around putting a pin in a map so you can share that place with others in your contacts. Basically, it’s area sharing, and it’s just as possible with Android as it is with iOS.
Let me show you how this is done.
What you’ll require to “drop a pin” in Android
The only things you’ll need are an upgraded Android gadget and the latest variation of the Maps app. I’ll be demonstrating on a Pixel 6 Pro running Android 13 and the Google Maps app version 11.51.0704.
Let’s make this work.
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How to enable Place Sharing in Google Maps
The very first thing we need to do is allow Place Sharing in Google Maps. To do this, open the app, tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner and tap Area Sharing (Figure A).
Figure A
The Place Sharing option in the Google Maps app menu. In the resulting window(Figure B), click Share Place
, and when prompted 
, click Allow. Figure B Enabling Area Sharing in Google Maps. You will then be prompted to set up the place sharing for that circumstances, where you can select a timespan and any contact you wish to share your area with(
Figure C
). Figure C Configuring your very first area share. Tap Share, and you will then be prompted to give Maps approval for the gadget area. Make certain Accurate is selected, and after that, tap While Utilizing The
App (Figure D
). Figure D Configuring Google Maps consents in Android. Now that you have Area Sharing configured, how do you drop a pin? There are two methods.
How to drop a pin
If you’re in Google Maps, you can long-press a place on the map, tap Share, choose a contact to share the place with and tap Send. The recipient will then receive an e-mail with a link to see the location on Google Maps.
The 2nd technique is by method of Google Assistant. All you need to do is state something like this:
Hey, Google, send my place to Olivia Nightingale.
If you have more than one messaging app set up, Android will trigger you to choose an app for the sending of your place. The default is Messages, however if you have the likes of WhatsApp set up, you can decide which by specifying the name of the app.
By utilizing this technique, the recipient will get a link to your location by means of SMS.
Either technique, the recipient can tap on the link on their mobile or desktop gadget to open Google Maps to their area.
A word of warning
I would extremely suggest you use this function carefully. Make sure you are just sharing your place with individuals you definitely know and trust. The last thing you need is to put yourself in danger by sharing your position with strangers or people who are just on the periphery of your life. Please, utilize this function with caution. Do that, and it will serve you well.
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