Closure affects Latitude on Android, iOS, the web and Latitude API
Alongside today's Google Maps for Android news, the company has confirmed that Latitude, its location-sharing service, will be closing from Aug. 9. The shutdown affects Latitude in its entirety — on the web, Android, iOs, through badges and the Latitude API. After the Aug. 9 cut-off date, Latitude components such as check-ins and friend lists will be disabled in various Google properties.
Google's location-sharing focus is being shifted across to Google+, which already supports check-ins and social sharing of location data. The move comes as Google has been making efforts to focus on a smaller number of products, closing services deemed less important. In a controversial move, the company recently retired Google Reader, its RSS solution. We doubt the closure of Latitude will prove anywhere near as contentious — nevertheless, if there's anyone out there still using Latitude, be sure to sing out in the comments.
Source: Google
Reader comments
Google confirms Latitude being retired from August 9
I want to bring the attention on another application that can replace some use cases of Google Latitude.
It consists in asking your friend where they are through a simple application. They chose for how long they wish to share their location and do not need to have the application installed (they don't even need an Android smartphone, any decent smartphone with a geolocation aware browser is enough).
Lets explain it with a real use case, I want to meet my friend at an open air music festival with a lot of attendees. The classic way of doing it is calling him, but with the heavy music we will barely understand each other, plus it will be difficult to describe where we are to meet.
That's where the application will help : you select the contact you want to meet, it sends a SMS (or use the share dialog) requesting its location. The text contains a link to a site allowing any decent smartphone (even iOS/Blackberry/Windows Phone) to geolocalize him. Once done, you will get a notification on your phone displaying him on a map !
Don't hesitate to test it http://lclz.in
Disclaimer : I'm the author
Satellite view is also in Latitude
Since hearing the news yesterday about Google dumping Latitude, I have been trying to find an alternative that crosses both Android and iPhone platforms.
There are only a few free options, and after coming out and reading all these comments, I decided I would also try the locations in Google+.
I am still waiting for invitations to be accepted, so I cannot judge yet how this will work compared to Latitude. However, the one thing I have noticed so far is that my map only shows street view and not satellite. It will bother me if I cannot get the satellite view.
Does anyone know if the satellite view is an option?
Satellite view is in the setting with Google earth.
I use latitude every day. What is Google thinking?
My problem is, if Google stop Latitude like this, what prevent them from stopping Google Drive whenever they feel like it. I have a lot running on Google drive. Not good Google, not good.
I don't mind the change, but i just wish they kept the same sharing relationships in g+ that i had in latitude. Now I have to re-add everyone and ask them to re-add me.
They should have said they are porting it to g+ not shutting it down and had a friendly way to port all the information over. This seems like the wrong way to go about telling people about the change.
I use this when my family is late arriving home.I like knowing they are save and where .
It's annoying that we have to switch to G+, but the most annoying part is that the G+ Locations feature has fewer features than Latitude. Map view even doesn't have a "my location" button. I sure hope Google moves all of Latitude's features over to G+ as the final date draws closer.
Still uses every once in a while
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Really disappointing it was a nice way for my wife and kid to keep track of each other. Does Google allow kids to sign up for G+ now? Cause they didn't the last time the kid tried.
Maybe they changed it by now. Eliminating all kids from this would be a big fail.
Now we have to have a whole new job finding our way around G+. Its already a full time job keeping their phones right.
Maybe somebody will be interested in our small tracking app MapTrack. NO registration on third-party servers is needed to manage or share tracks. User shares his track by direct link to people he wants, and manage his tracks in Google Docs. The user has full control of his own data and people follow him in usual browser. Each point of the track has time , location and some other useful info. The app also has an option to record offline tracks. Perfect to stay in touch with your family in real time and your followers don't need G+ or any special app - just internet browser. Give it a try or contact us with any questions:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vistechprojects.maptrack
im am so upset that they are canceling these services. i use this to not only track my girlfriends activity. my lady is a bit clumsy with her phone. earlier in the year she when out to a party and lost her phone. she called me to track it for her and with all my efforts and her will to find her phone. she was lucky enough to use these services that was available to her in her time of need. i dont think google understands that these services are needed for all different kinds of reasons. killing these unique services just puts google a step back. how can we start a petition or movement to keep this service alive. the location options and check ins dont cut it when u lose ur device on G+. also if they kill the service have something that will replace the previous service that take care of the usefulness it had on the previous map feature had.
Save Latitude start the movement, let show google we like and want to continue using this service.
It would have been nice if they had just merged Latitude into Google+. They did not, it lacks the functionality, usability and convenience in the form they have set in the Google+ version. I like my friends knowing where I am when I go out of town, and the peace of mind of knowing I don't have to manually check in everywhere I go just to let people know where I am. So tired of Google stripping features without fully replacing the functionality first.
My girlfriend is going to get mad...
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How do you automatically check in with G+ ?
I used to love this with latitude
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I drive truck and a lot of our fellow drivers,good friends, use latitude to track each other. Makes it nice when we want to meet up for a bit for lunch/dinner or what not. I also set my mom up with it so she can see where I am when she wants to. Please create something of the same sort soon. I love latitude. Thanks.
I drive truck and a lot of our fellow drivers,good friends, use latitude to track each other. Makes it nice when we want to meet up for a bit for lunch/dinner or what not. I also set my mom up with it so she can see where I am when she wants to. Please create something of the same sort soon. I love latitude. Thanks.
I dont like google plus or hangouts. I do like latitude and gtalk. Why replace with crap. Gtalk and latitude are just fine.
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That's kind of a shame. I used to work for a small pharmaceutical company and we used Latitude extensively to keep track of my research monitor group and the sales group were. It was really handy, and just as useful as other solutions that were pretty expensive at the time.
This is just crap and one more reason to leave Google for good. I don't use there products because ounce you get them working right, they terminated them. I for one am pissed!
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Using Latitude wasn't important to me. And not to get off topic, Google+ is good in some ways.
But a bit intrusive in other ways, that's why some people I know won't use it.
One example is posting comments. Even with notifications off.
I don't want an email everytime a person posts a comment, that I posted on.
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I don't mind them rebranding it to Google+ Locations but at the moment you can't even pinch to zoom on G+ app
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Pinch and zoom works for me on my s3 g+ app. Now i just wish it would stop telling me i have no friends on the map. Basically telling me im a loser. thanks g+.
Latitude was fun when I was in college and owned a blackberry but I never got anyone to use it since then
Totally Sucks.
I work on an air ambulance, this is how my GF knows when I'm on flights and where.
Damn it.
God all these people having an app tracking their location. Wives tracking husbands. Parents tracking kids. I just don't get it.
And I'm married with two kids.
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My issue is not about tracking others. I have a wife and two kids also. Whenever one of the kids are running late it is comforting to see where they are on the map. If they are driving I certainly don't want to call or text and distract them.
It's sad that you don't seem to have anyone in your life that you can trust with this information.
I have nothing to hide from my spouse so I allow here to see where I am using Latitude. She allows the same. It's very useful.
I have to say I was disappointed with losing Latitude. After investigating Google+ a little more I have lost most of my disappointment. Now if they get the location sharing on the G+ iOS app that will help. By the way my daughter has latitude on her iphone right now and it is working perfectly with G+ on my Android phone and the desktop. Hopefully they get moved before August 9th.
Anyone know if I can embed my new G+ location on my personal website? Sounds dumb to some, but I have my latitude map embedded on my website, so anyone (not just friends) can go to my site and see where I am.
I use Latitude every single day. I don't use it to track anyone else, nor does anyone track me. I never "checked in" once using Latitude in maps. I truly use it as location history. The data points that it has grabbed over the years have been amazingly useful. I can go back 2 years and look at exactly where I was and the path I took on day 3 of that vacation to that place. I can go back 6 months and look at a rough guess of how many km i traveled on that one day at work when I had to go to 6 different places.
Google+ will not replace or replicate the ability to go to a map and look at your travel/movement patterns. And that is the unfortunate loss of this.
It's funny, because for a company that literally makes it's money off of gathering as many data points as they do, removing this one seems odd. Google+ does not replace everything it did.
I used latitude, always sad to see a good service go, but so long as it lives on in G+ then I'm ok. Because there are no decent alternitives that don't make you check in >.<
Google has posted an FAQ on this service. I would post the link but Android Central keeps marking it SPAM. Grrrr....
I did some testing and found out that the Google+ location part of the app works just like Latitude. The only real difference is that they don't time stamp the reporting but it reports about every 10-15 mins where your location is if you have it set up in your setting correctly. I can see that my wife went to work and where she is on the Google+ app and online. Also, your history is still available as well.
So it looks like they got rid of the app and put it under one umbrella again just like they did with Local and Messenger. I like the idea to going to one app for everything. More convenient. Hope this helps.
I have two teenage daughters. I use latitude to see where they are. They know i can see them, it keeps them safe and gives me the piece of mind to allow them out more. I'm sure the teens will love this for that fact, thanks Google for taking this feature away now my kids can do things and go places I don't approve. I also use it daily with my coworkers to see if anyone is close to me
It works just the same but now in G+.
If they do things you don't approve of, that's because of your failure as a parent or their just rotten, spoiled kids. It's not Google's job to raise your kids. Some of you people really should not procreate.
Or...just maybe...they are normal kids! Are you really naive enough to think that a parent can keep their kid from doing something bad by simply telling them not to do it? Really?
Ugh, this guy. Always this guy. Are you naive enough to think Google should be held responsible when they do that bad thing? How would some of you have raised kids before 2007?
It's just that simple, huh? So, how many children do you have?
“You can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”
-Abraham Lincoln
First world problems indeed... all that said, we're basically in a position of get over it and use what they give us or use something else that you might have to pay for. Most if not all of Google's products are free, as long as you don't mind that they use your data from whatever app to develop (sometimes) better services and features.
If you don't like the direction they're going, switch to something else. When you don't like that option, switch again. Just make sure you're willing to explain to everyone else you used that feature with that you're moving and they need to move too. Then be prepared to help them with the transition.
Damn, for me it's by far the most used maps feature and in top 5 of all android features.
Idiots
I like Latitude and moving it to G+ is no big deal.
This sucks. I use gMaps to track my location and see my friends and wife. The service has been lacking lately and constantly has problems. Hopefully a startup or similar service will release apps for all the major platforms.
Sucks!
My heart dropped when I read this. My wife and I use it all the time. She is on an iPhone and I and Android. She just yesterday returned from a very long automobile trip and all the way I could track her location and it has always been so very nice to just know where she is and not have to always ask, "Where are you." The tracking was just right for us and extremely useful.
But, glad to hear it will live on in some fashion.
You guys could all just get iPhones and use Find My Friends, what's the big deal?
Yes, that's a reasonable alternative. Never mind the fees associated with switching, or the ridiculous cost of an iAnything, not to mention how locked down it is unless you're going to *gasp* jailbreak it.
You know what else people could do? Get a different app. It's cheaper than buying an Apple product, the cost of which is 90% for the name, 10% for the product.
Find My Friends is free on iOS. Seems like a reasonable price to me.
You mention people getting a different app, which one are aware you of that provides the same experience as Latitude did? (aside from Find My Friends on iPhone of course)
Why would someone need to switch to an iPhone to use "Find My Friends" when they can just install it on their Android...
Find My Friends is not exclusive to iPhone no need to downgrade a phone to use it.
Oh, you recently got it for Android? Can you link me to it in the Play Store so I can download it?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fsp.android.friendlocator
That's not the same amazing program that exists on iOS sanctioned by the late Steve Jobs.
The one thing we use daily. We're on the road daily and it's great using latitude for our elderly parent to watch where we are. If we have trouble on the road we have someone that can tell the authorities where we are. (We don't always have cell phone service). We follow several other people too. This is the worst thing happening for us in our electronic world. bummer.
This sucks. I used to use the Latitude dashboard on the desktop to check how much miles I have covered.
My destination was the moon. It was just under halfway to reach :(
No surprise who used that anyway. Mist use foursquare or Facebook check in.
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Obviously people that are semi-literate have no use for the service. Thanks for speaking up for a much misunderstood sub-culture in America.
I use Glympse for my drive home so my wife knows where I am. Glympse is more real time than Latitude but you can only share for discrete periods of time. I don't think you'd want to leave it on either because it probably would drain a battery with how much it pings for the real time location. I'm hoping someone comes in and fills the gap like Feedly did for Reader.
I'm gonnna try that! thanks!
Glympse is indeed pretty neat for real-time sharing, but most Latitude users want semi-real-time sharing all in the background. Latitude (or Google+ Locations, whatever you want to call "Google's location sharing product") could indeed have a real-time mode, and even *should* have it, in the future, for meeting up with people (integrated with Glass)
First world problem rant! Expletive, expletive! Seriously, how the hell did some of you cope prior to smart phones?
It's an Android site. What do you expect people to discuss? Global warming? Micro-loans for developing countries? The collapse of the Euro?
Look above. You missed my point as it went over your head.
Maybe I can replace with Google+ on our android phones, but what about our kids who use iphone? How will we know where our kids are? I suppose I have to pay sprint $10/month to use their crappy family finder app?
How will we know where our kids are?
By doing your job as a parent.
By using Latitude to keep dibs on his kids he is doing his job as a parent. I know my parents would have loved to have this tool. It would have helped that time my sister said she was staying down the street with girlfriends when she was out causing mischief elsewhere. Of course, they didn't need it with me. I was too shy to do anything so brazen.
If you felt they were responsible enough to own iPhones, then surely you feel they're responsible enough to call you with them and tell you where they are.
The operative phrase is "tell you where they are". This relies on them telling the truth. Kids lie...a lot.
Cell phones have made this problem worse. In the old days, you could call a physical location and ask for your child and if they weren't there you knew something was up. Now with cell phones they could be in another state, call you on their cell phone and say they are a couple blocks away. A service like Latitude helps to keep them honest.
Really? Are you that naive to think this service is gonna keep anyone honest? All you have to do is keep the tracked phone wherever you said you were gonna be and take your backup cheap Android Straight Talk phone where you wanna go. However, if they're honest enough to keep the tracked phone with them and on, they should be honest enough to tell you their location when you call. You, always the contrarian to the obvious.
This sucks for one reason: G+ is blocked on my network. Still have to use Talk on my desktop, when I try to switch to Hangouts the server's blocked. It really pisses me off because Facebook isn't restricted at all.
+1
NIPRnet sux!
Blocked on your network... at work? or your ISP?
Either way, don't you have a method to request access if you provide justification for access? I realize that being forced into this situation still sucks.
I have asked for access on more than one occasion. G+ remains blocked because of it's tight integration with Drive, which apparently is a security risk. I fear it won't be long before even gmail is blocked.
Man damn, I use latitude all the time. My family uses it as a safety tool so we know the location of each other. Also I know if I have enough time to take that bong hit on the back patio before everyone gets home ;-)
I for one am glad they are combining all the services. It only makes sense. Latitude always seemed like the bastard child of Google Maps anyways. I just hope they bring the functionality of Latitude to Google+ location sharing.
The problem is that Google+ location sharing doesn't have all of the features that Latitude has. I see no mention of automatic check-ins going forward and I don't recall seeing an easy way to get directions to someone's current location. Plus there's no API for Google+ location sharing, is there? So much for third party support.
Until now there was no need for 3rd party support. The shut off isnt even here yet and details are still very slim on all of this I think we should all just wait it out and see what happens. Besides its not like this is the end of the world. However I agree that we need all the features of Latitude. I use it daily.
Haha, "no need for 3rd party support"... out-dated, in-accurate, city-wide location values were not an option for my 100k users.
As the developer of "Backitude"... I'm cringing at this article. Dark day I knew would come as I tried to make something out of a sh1tty system.
i really like/d your app is there anything else you suggest????
The API is being shutdown without plans of creating a new one. Backitude is out of business.
Hey, I am (grrr... was) a happy Backitude user. Any chance of making it force G+ updates? Perhaps I could "check-in" every 3 minutes... ;-)
Thanks for chiming in. I use Backitude on a daily basis to force an update every 15 seconds while I'm commuting. It's wonderful.
I don't see how people say that Google+ will replace it, or be better. It seems Google+ is only associated with "Places" (venues) while Latitude works with /coordinates/ (and Places). How would it handle the case where you're at a location with no Place to check in to? Are they ever going to fix the new(ish, been a few months?) bug where you no longer remain checked in to a Place any more?
I always felt like Latitude needed an overhaul. Location sharing could've been one-way, by Google+ circles instead of adding emails to get two-way sharing.
And what about the Glass demo at I/O? How would you know that someone's on their way, without the incremental polling?
The Latitude API is being shutdown without plans of creating a new Locations one. Backitude is out of business.
Oh, now that I've read the Google article, I understand the details more. Essentially, the backend (dashboard, location history) are staying, and the frontend is Google+ circling (which is honestly IMO how it should've been) and a new Locations module (not Places)..
Nice to have you chime in backitude. You're application was an AMAZING enhancement to Latitude! I'm really REALLY bummed out that Google is killing the service (as it was). I will sorely miss your incredible work, as will those who USED to be able to make sure I'm still alive (or at least my phone was still alive). RIP Latitude and Backitude.
Thanks, it was cool while it lasted. Always knew Latitude was destined for the junk pile like someone mentioned, but I thought Google would still keep a Location API open for apps such as mine. Tough assumption to be wrong on.
I understand that many of you don't like being pushed to use Google+. However, I think Google's main push is to merge all of its core services into one hub (Google+) so that your data is more consolidated and easier for them to use. Honestly this is a good thing for us because having our data consolidated in one place makes it more useful on our end if your're a heavy user. The nice thing about Google+ is that you only have to use the features you want. You don't actually have to use it as a social tool. Its more of a Google Hub. (Think a better iGoogle)
+1
Finally the truth here.
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I would like to agree with you but I can't. One thing Google tries to do is emulate everyone in Social Media while diluting, if not killing, their original function. Think of Google's purchase of Grand Central and creation of their crappy rebranded voice service. Then think of their "very decent" Picassa product and now look at it. Half the product it used to be with a myriad of cryptic controls. Stuff shows up where it shouldn't and managing albums, access, and viewing is a nightmare. It worked wonderfully as a stand-alone client and a web-publishing service.
So, we get your point, but Google's execution only continues to disappoint. Just like their recent Gmail updates.
going to have to switch to Glympse "http://alturl.com/i3r2k"
iOS+1 google1- seems like a huge step back.
I'm looking forward to this being on g+ ... I don't understand the gate towards g+ when they are just trying to bring everything together and not double up. If some one can care to explain.
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I hope that Google enhances the Check-in feature on Google+. Sigh....
Use it daily, so I know when to clean up before my fiance gets home.
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This sucks... Alternatives are needed...
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Agree. Regardless of others rationalize it, this is an effort to coerce people into running their lives within G+. Coercion characterized MS and Apple. It was part of what made them evil, in contrast to the old Google.
As an alternative you can create separate G+ accounts and use one service in each of one. One for geolocation, another for Plsy Store reviews, etc. In this way it will be more difficult for Google to get a full picture of your life.
Another service eaten by g+. First there was Picassa, then Local, iGoogle, Talk and Reader. Now Latitude. Pretty sad actually.
Man... and they really screwed the pooch with Picassa. What a disaster and POS it turned out to be.
No kidding. Google has been really pissing me off lately. Instead of letting Google + die they are going full bore into it and destroying other useful services to do it. I deleted my useless Google + account right after they tried to shove hangouts down my throat when talk was much easier and useful.
1-!! This sucks! Its how my family and I keep track of one another and also see if one or the other is at work. Anyone have any replacement app recommendations?
Yes I let my daughter mom track me just to make sure I'm safe.. Incase one day something happen to me.. My friend had me tracking him also since he be on road alot smh love this feature
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Yes!
Posted via Android Central App
DAMN YOU GOOGLE! ok I feel better now ;-)
THIS SUCKS! I really liked this feature and it's an awesome feature in Google maps. why would they get rid of something that was good. they could of kept this and still had Google+ location sharing
+1
1. Because they have another tool that does the same thing, but better.
2. Because very, very few people use it.
I use latitude all the time with friends. G+ isn't terrible but I don't use it for checking in. Sad that Google is forcing everyone to use it, as one commenter said.
I use latitude daily. It will be missed. Anyone have any recommendations on an alternative (cross platform) app. My wife uses it on her iphone too. I'm on the same page with a lot of the comments. It's a safety feature for my family and me.
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Try G+
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I was looking at it. Do you know if it live updates or is it check in based?
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I will know more details after testing it out this morning.
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So far G+ works just like Latitude. It reports yours and friends location. I don't know how often it updates it or if you have to constantly check in for it to work. More to come...
Posted via Android Central App
You can set it to check in automatically, just like G+....
I understand people don't like change in general, and definitely not feeling forced to change, but if you're one of the few people that actually use latitude (like me) you'll find it all in G+.
I use this so that my wife can track me when I'm riding my motorcycle to/from work - if anything happens and I end up in a ditch or something, I'd like to know that there may be a chance of me being found - there was a story in the news recently of a guy who crashed in a ditch and wasn't found for 3 days...
So drive your car....
Posted via Android Central App
Try using Glympse. It's available on Google Play and does exactly what you need.
I've been using it so my wife can track my travel home from work. It displays real-time location and speed on a map.
LOL@ the awesome promo video on their website.
and obligatory I HATE YOU, AC WEB DESIGNERS, AND YOUR PATHETIC AD CODE. HATEHATEHATE PLEASE DIAF.
No coarse location sharing in Google+ :-(
Never used it never wanted to.
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This kind of sucks.. I would use it quite often with a few close friends
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Once again forcing my friends and family to use G+ when they won't.. Removing latitude from maps is a real swift kick in the sack to me, thanks a lot.
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+1
Posted via Android Central App
+1
+1
#ifyouknowwhatimean
Posted via Android Central App
+1 for my wife
+3 or my kids
+1 for me
off all the things to cut... why not cut google+ and keep latitude?!?!?
Please, don't. Google+ is insanely useful. And no, it's not a Facebook replacement, as I don't use Facebook nor G+ as a Facebook replacement.
Because Google+ is an amazing app, and it keeps getting better as a social network.
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I agree! I have no use for Google+ and I do not like being forced to use it. So I will begin searching for an alternative.
Because Latitude is a one-trick pony while Google+ is a Swiss Army knife (I know I'm mixing metaphors, but you get the point).
Exactly, makes perfect sense from a business perspective. Why keep latitude when G+ has its ONE functionality mixed with countless others. I'm "against" social networks like Facebook, and I've found G+ very useful, very well designed and intuitive, and much more upfront about what you may share and more importantly how NOT to share information.
Maps has Latitude mixed with countless others. They just moved Latitude to G+ and stripped many of the features.
I love it when the same people who hate Google + also toss around "+ 1" like it was an everyday thing... Thats a Google + thing, so clearly your conflicted and don't even realize it.
+1 was around the net before Google+ started. That's where they got the idea from.
+1000
+1
G+ is basically the Google Account everyone had already. It doesn't hurt and helps a lot to finally unify the Google services more. Before we had just a big mess of single services.
+1
+1
+1 for that...
I dont want to use G+ instead of Latitude. I will try to find some 3rd party app...
Is there any difference in functionality between location tracking in Google+ and in Latitude?
Yes, in Google+ you must actively check in and share your location. Latitude did it automatically.
That's not true, Google+ does it automatically if you set it to do so.
Incidentally, after checking this out there are 6-7 people I don't know that well in my circles that are sharing their location with me. I set it up so I only share with three immediate family members.
Why yes. Unless I am missing something You cannot Navigate to someone's location in G+. If you are trying to FIND someone somewhere (like a beach, unfamiliar area, or forrest or something, how exactly would you do that in G+ ?
How will I ever find my phone??!
3rd party apps? "Where's My Droid?" comes to mind although I can't say I've actually used it yet, just always had it installed.
Install "Android lost"
Free and excellent.
I'm a truck driver and have family and friends that follow me, really bummed out about this
You can still use it. They just moved the social features out of Google Maps into Google+. Check the settings in the G+ App to share your location to specific people or circles.
Ok, i'm not as upset anymore.
I used it to "track" my family mostly, especially when travelling.
If G+ still has the same features then I'm cool.
Thanks for this. i'll look for those settings.
You can probably still have them follow your location. I'm not sure if it can be done automatically, but i know you can check in to places through Google+
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It can be done automatically.
Same here. We use in the family to see where family members are mainly when traveling. There is another app called Echoecho that is supposed to do something similar but have not had enough time to really test it. My Google maps updated today and the latitude option is now gone though I can still see who's who on the PC screen..
same for our family, i'm looking for something simiarl
Wtf so how else will I track my girlfriend secretly
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I think that's a big reason for users of the app. My buddy uses it to secretly track his kids.
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I use it to track my daughter, but not secretly, she know I installed it and knows the penalty of turning it off(loss of phone privileges among others).
This was my inexpensive(free) alternative to using the Sprint Family Locator.
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/google-inc-google-please-do-not-ki...
well it's not really secret is it, she must know you guys share locations no?
Because Latitude could run in the background, it was set and forget. Someone could spend a few seconds with your phone, turn on Latitude, add you as a friend and never need to touch the phone again. They wouldn't have a clue unless they opened it.
If I recall, Latitude required you to reauthorize location sharing every 30 days. Or at the very least, it sent an e-mail reminder to your Gmail every 30 days, reminding you that you were sharing. I can't remember if the notices could be disabled.
No, there are no notices. My friends and I have been using it for years and never once got a noticed of any kind.
If you dont see "Google Location Reporting Privacy Reminder" every month that means you took the extra step of filtering them out of your inbox. Google *does* try to warn users that their location history is being recorded and possibly shared.
That's absolutely incorrect, me and several friends have been sharing locations for years also. I have never disabled any notifications, nor do I ever get any.
This must be a bug in your case.
I get an E Mail telling me.
Now you'll have to get them on G+ and set and forget the box on their phones.
Posted via Android Central App
It,s huge disappointment 4 me n my mom post 2 shut down service of latitude by google.....
It was great service where in my mom was usually able to tracked me ny instance when i was out of home
The imlortant use was when once i had dare to journey 2 my village on bike almost 320 km from city in Dark night alone...n my family was tracking on GMAP
But now it become vry difficult 4me to take permission for such rides unless n untill having latitude service !!!
Seems that google stopped this service to earn from third party sofware vendors by giving reason they had!!
Wish i could enjoy this again....
Likewise
Yes, I get notifications monthly. They are a standard reminder that I am sharing my location.
No one I know has ever gotten notifications about location sharing.
Just talking in the office, no-one here has ever gotten anything to remind them that they are sharing their location on Latitude.
And then, why would Google need to send a reminder, it's not as if it's -publically- shared, only people who mutually share their location can see it. So if you can see them, they can see you.
Shame, loved this in our social circles to arrange impromptu lunches/dinners
I get the reminder emails regularly. If you don't and you are sharing your location with someone, then something is wrong.
I and my wife get the notifications.
I set a filter on wife's email to delete them. She didn't mind the tracking but would click through and news with the settings like set a manual location.
We use backitude app to improve the regularity of updates.
Merlinewsboy is correct. Everyone disagreeing with him is wrong.
Why are so many people claiming that there must be notices when you obviously aren't a user of the service? Everyone who uses Latitude knows very well that there are no popups, no notifications, no emails, no anything else. Ever. You share once and you're done. From that time on, your location is available to your friend at whatever level of accuracy you've set it to and you never have any indication of whether that person is ignoring you or checking your location every 10 minutes.
Merlinewsboy is incorrect. Everyone aggreeing with him is right.
I use the service and I get regular emails directly from Google reminding me that I'm sharing out my location. If you don't, then either you told Google you don't want that type of notification, it's being filtered as spam, or there's a glitch in Google's email program that excludes your address for some reason.
I use the service and I don't get reminders/notifications. Similarly, I have never disabled any notifications/reminders.
Let's all just call this a mixed bag situation and STFU.
Never a reminder. Been using it since 2010 with many friends. no one else gets reminders.
Location Reporting Privacy Reminder
To protect your privacy we would like to remind you that your mobile device is reporting your location data to Google. This is just a privacy reminder - if you did not enable this or want to stop reporting your location, disable location reporting in Google Mobile Maps or Google Latitude location settings.
The account being used is name@gmail.com
Google requires you to reauthorize if you have instructed Google to TRACK your location, and keep a history. I opted in to this, and that is when I started getting notices. For those people who receive this email, you took the extra step to turn on location TRACKING on yourself. Go back and read the email, it is spelled out there. I get these emails, my wife (and granddaughter) do NOT.
http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/google-inc-google-please-do-not-ki...
Life 360 in the Android Market is far better than Google latitude anyway !! Thats what I use !!