[APK] Google Launches Trusted Contacts: An App That Shares Your Location With Loved Ones In Real Time

Google's new application of Trusted Contacts aims at letting your loved ones know that you are safe and sound with the help of real time location sharing. Google has said that the app will be "coming soon" to Apple's iOS platform as well.

After installing the application, you can add your closest friends and family members to the list of trusted contacts. Your "trusted" contacts can then view your activity status. If you are online or have moved around, your activity status will change accordingly and will be reflected back to your trusted contacts.

The people you have added as trusted contacts can also request your location. If you are safe, you can simply deny their request of location sharing. However, if you are unable to respond to their location sharing request in a reasonable amount of time, your location will be shared with them automatically. In case your phone goes out of network coverage or gets disconnected from the internet and if someone from your trusted contacts requests your location, your last known location will be made available to them.

Trusted Contacts also allows you to share your location with your friends and family in real time. Thus if you are on the move and feel uncomfortable at any time, you can get a 'virtual' backing up from your loved ones. For example, if you feel that someone is following you with harmful intentions or you want someone to be beside you when you are walking alone in the dark, then this feature might come in handy. On the other hand, your loved ones can simply tap on the notification above and they will then be taken over to Google Maps from wherein they can track you even more closely. With the help of your exact location, they would know whether or not to ping you to pick something up from the store. At the same time, when you are close enough to the house, they can also put your food in the oven and serve it you hot when you are all tired up from work.

Well, now this is what Google aims this app to be used for. However, there do exist people in this world who misuse technology in their own way. There will be some parents who truly care about their ward's safety versus those who might use this technology to spy on their children and keep a track of their activities. In a similar manner, some dubious spouses or partners might use this to keep a persistent check on their better half. Technology is thus a double edged sword, with both of it's pros and cons to be looked at and considered.

However, there are certain ways using which you can combat people who aim to use this app to invade into your privacy. To add a person as a trusted contact, you need to send them over a request first. After the other person accepts the request, they also acknowledge to the share of their own location and activities with you. And, of course, you can modify the list of trusted contacts anytime. Moreover, you can disable the option of location sharing anytime you want to. So in case you can envision anyone harming you through this app, you can either remove them as a trusted contact or disable location sharing. Although the app is still new, we would still like to see a customization in the app using which we can temporarily suspend location sharing with a person. This might help in answering the privacy harassing doubts the app poses.

To get hold of the application, you can either install it from the Play Store or download it's APK over from here. To get in a notification when the app will be made available for iOS, click here.

Source: Google Blog, Via

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.