Google Maps allows you to share your location with friends and family, and see their location if they grant you permission. For people you regularly check up on, you can create a handy home screen shortcut on Android devices.

The location sharing features in Google Maps is similar to Apple’s “Find My” feature. You can share your location for specific lengths of time, or indefinitely. When others share their location with you, they appear right on the map. We can create a shortcut that will take you directly to their location.

RELATED: How to Find Your Family and Friends Using Google Maps

First, open Google Maps on your Android device and tap the profile icon in the search bar.

Select “Location Sharing” from the menu.

Select "Location Sharing."

A list of people who are sharing their location with you appears at the bottom of the screen. Select the person that you would like to create a shortcut for.

Select a person.

Now tap the three-dot menu icon from their information card and select “Add to Home Screen.”

Select "Add to Home Screen."

A pop-up will appear with the shortcut. You can tap and hold the shortcut icon to drag it to the home screen yourself, or select “Add Automatically” to have the shortcut placed on the home screen for you.

Place the shortcut.

With the shortcut on your home screen, you can tap it to open Google Maps to their current location.

Launch the shortcut.

This is a nice little time-saver for those people in your life you may need to check up on frequently. Google Maps has a few handy features for letting people know where you are.

RELATED: How to Share Your Location in a Text Message on Android

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Joe Fedewa is a Staff Writer at How-To Geek. He has been covering consumer technology for over a decade and previously worked as Managing Editor at XDA-Developers. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer at heart. He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews.
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