With Messenger now a platform, we have started to see various new integrations into the same. As a part of these new additions, Facebook today announced a new location sharing feature, which lets you share your current location with your contacts on Messenger, at your own will.
And for all of us who have been using Messenger’s previous, constant location sharing feature, the new way is definitely a welcome addition. Now you can choose to explicitly send a map of your location or another particular place as a separate message, instead of the side-lined location sharing which used to happen on Messenger earlier.
To get started, just tap the More icon or the location pin at the bottom of your screen.
For example, if you want to tell a friend which restaurant to meet you at, search for the restaurant and send a map of where it is. If you’re running late, send a map of where you are to your friend to let him or her know how far away you are.
Interestingly though, in an interaction with TechCrunch’s Josh Constine, Messenger Head Of Product Stan Chudnovsky said this when quipped if Messenger might build on Uber’s API to let you instantly book ride
I didn’t say that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like what you’re saying.
We’ll leave the guessing game to you.
Also, this time Facebook gives you full control of when and how to share your location, unlike before, when location sharing was irritatingly an “Always On” feature. You only send a location when you tap on the location pin and then choose to send it as a separate message. You can also share a location—like a meeting spot—even if you’re not there.
To address your privacy concerns, Facebook clarifies the data being sent to Facebook’s own servers is all in your hands. Messenger does not get location information from your device in the background—only each time you select a location and tap Send when you use the Messenger app. The app will not be requesting any new permissions for your information.
