Live location tracking: how it works and when to use it

Live location tracking means someone can see where you are right now, as you move — not where you were ten minutes ago when you dropped a pin. It's useful for coordinating meetups, keeping family in the loop on a long drive, or letting a friend watch your progress on a hike. But it works differently in a browser versus a dedicated app, and understanding those differences helps you choose the right tool for the situation.

How live location tracking works

At its core, live tracking is simple: your device reads your GPS position every few seconds, sends that position to a server, and the server shares it with whoever is watching. The viewer's browser or app polls for updates and redraws the marker on the map as you move.

The key variable is where the position reading happens — in the foreground while the screen is on, or in the background even when the app isn't visible. This difference defines the gap between browser-based tracking and native app tracking.

Browser-based live tracking: foreground only

When you share your live location from a browser using My Location, the position updates as long as the tab is open and the screen is on. This is a browser security constraint, not a limitation we chose — browsers don't allow web pages to access location in the background, because unrestricted background location access is a significant privacy and battery concern.

In practice, browser-based tracking is excellent for:

• Active navigation sharing — "I'm driving to you, watch me arrive" — where your phone is on the windshield mount with the screen on.
• Meeting up — sharing your live position in real time while you're walking to a venue.
• Short, defined sessions — a run or a ride where you don't mind keeping the screen on or the tab open.

If you need tracking that continues with the screen off or the phone in your pocket, that requires the Android app, which runs a background foreground service specifically designed for sustained location broadcasting without draining the battery excessively.

What the viewer sees

The person watching your live location opens a link — either your private friend share link or a public follow link — in any browser. No install required on their side. They see a map centered on your position with a marker that moves as you move, and an indication of when the position was last updated. If you stop broadcasting (tab closes, or you turn tracking off), the marker shows your last known position with a note that the feed has gone offline, so they're not left guessing.

Private friend tracking vs. public follow links

There are two sharing modes, and picking the right one matters for privacy:

• Private friend tracking — you add specific friends through an invite link. Only that person can see your position, and only when you've turned sharing on for them. You can flip it off at any time without removing the friendship. This is the right choice for family and close friends you want to share with regularly.
• Public follow link — anyone with the URL can see your location. Useful for group hikes, public events, or one-off situations. Rotate the link after the session to invalidate it.

For a deeper look at the privacy model behind friend sharing, see how to share your location with friends privately.

How accurate is live tracking?

Accuracy depends on your device hardware and conditions, just like a static GPS reading. Outdoors on a smartphone, you can expect 3–10 meters. Indoors or in a moving vehicle, accuracy degrades to 15–50 meters depending on whether GPS can maintain a satellite lock. The app requests high-accuracy mode from the browser, which prefers the GPS chip over Wi-Fi positioning when both are available. For a full breakdown, read how accurate phone GPS really is.

Does live tracking drain the battery?

Continuous GPS use is one of the highest-drain activities on a phone — expect roughly 10–15% per hour on a modern device with the screen on and the GPS active. For browser-based tracking this is acceptable because the session tends to be active and intentional: you're driving with the screen on, or walking with the phone in hand. The Android app's background service is more aggressive about managing GPS duty cycles, reading position periodically rather than continuously, which extends runtime significantly for all-day sharing.

Ready to track?

For a quick browser-based session, open the live location page, choose a sharing mode, and send the link to whoever needs to see you. For ongoing, background tracking with the phone in your pocket, the Android app is the better tool.