Sharing location is the most friendly (pun unintended!) of the bunch – at least because your friends will know and have to consent to your snooping. After all, it’s called “sharing” for a reason, and since sharing is caring, they’ll know that you care. Probably. Definitely. But you won’t know if you don’t try, right? Sidenote, though: this method only works on the full Messenger app (not Messenger Lite), so make sure you’ve got the right version. Also, only use this with people you trust, but that’s a given. Now, on to the step-by-step instructions on using a Facebook Messenger tracker!
- If you want to know how to see friends’ locations on Facebook, start by opening up the Messenger app and chatting up a person you’re sharing your location with (or vice versa). If you haven’t messaged them yet, just send something like, “Hey, can you share your location with me?”
- Next, look at the bottom of your screen. On Android, you’ll see four dots in the corner and a plus (+) sign on iPhone – tap that to open more options.
- From the menu that pops up, tap on “Location”. If it’s your first time using it, Messenger will ask if it can use your GPS – just hit yes to let it through.
- Now, you can pick “Share Live Location”, which lets the other person track you in real time for up to an hour. Or, if you just need to share a specific spot (like where to meet), send a pinned location instead.
- When they share their location with you, you’ll see a map pop up in the chat. If it’s a live location, you can even watch their dot move around as they travel. There’s usually a “Directions” button too, which will open Google Maps so you can head straight to them.
- If you want to stop sharing, just tap “Stop Sharing”. If it’s live, it’ll stop automatically after an hour, but you can cut it off early if you’re done.