Google has officially rolled out real-time location sharing inside Google Messages, and it’s one of those features that makes you wonder why it took this long. Powered by Find Hub — Google’s device and people-tracking platform — you can now share your live location directly within a conversation thread, without ever having to switch to Google Maps or send a static pin link.

Until now, the “Location” option in the Messages attachment menu only sent your current position as a fixed Google Maps link — a snapshot of where you were at that moment, not where you are right now. That limitation often meant you had to hop between apps when trying to meet up with someone, which was more friction than it needed to be. This update closes that gap.​

Once you tap the “+” (plus) icon in any conversation, you’ll now see a “Real-time location” option highlighted in green. Tapping it brings up a screen where you can choose how long you want to share — options include one hour, the entire day, a custom duration, or simply “Until you turn this off.” After you hit send, a live map view appears right inside the chat thread. Both sides of the conversation can see each other’s avatars moving around the map in real time, and the recipient can tap the attachment to expand the full view.

The 24-hour cap on sharing duration is a thoughtful touch — Google appears to have deliberately avoided open-ended, indefinite sharing to prevent any potential misuse. And whenever you’re ready to stop, you can revoke access at any point, entirely from within the conversation.​​

What makes this particularly useful is that it’s the same underlying technology already available in Find Hub and Google Maps, just now surfaced inside Messages, where most people are already actively chatting. Rivals like WhatsApp and iMessage have offered something similar for years, so this brings Google Messages up to speed with what users on other platforms have grown accustomed to. The rollout began quietly for some users in late February 2026 and is now officially going wide as part of Google’s March Android feature bundle.