A few years ago, Google built a handy application dubbed the Trusted contacts app for both iOS and Android. The application could be used to quickly and securely share your location with close friends and family. This way, they could keep an eye on the user remotely even if they don’t actively share information.
However, Google has now announced that it is pulling the plug on the project in a rather abrupt announcement. The app is no longer available on Google Play Store or App Store, and according to the announcement, support will end entirely as of December 1st.
The app listing on both the Play Store and App store is directing users to try similar but less helpful features in Google Maps. Although Google Maps had allowed users to share location in real-time since 2017, friends and family cannot view your location without permission in case of emergency.
Users can opt-in for constant tracking to share their location, but that will not be limited to a few people and will be available for everyone.
In case of emergency situations, your contacts can only request you to share your location info. If you don’t respond, they won’t ever know.
Combining other applications with Google Maps has been Google’s forte for a while now. However, in this case, the merge doesn’t seem to bring a lot of value.
