You now have the option to share your realtime location with other people on WhatsApp. So, whether you're "meeting up with friends, letting loved ones know you're safe, or sharing your commute" you can now do so using WhatsApp. That is if you feel comfortable sharing your location.

In March 2017, Google Maps and Facebook Messenger started letting users share their realtime location with friends and family. A feature that can be used for both good and evil. And now WhatsApp has followed suit with a new realtime location sharing feature it has dubbed Live Location.

How to Share Your Live Location on WhatsApp

WhatsApp announced Live Location in a WhatsApp Blog post, calling it "a simple and secure way to let people know where you are". It also tried to head off any privacy concerns. Because, like every other communication that takes place on WhatsApp, Live Location offers end-to-end encryption.

To start sharing your realtime location with others, open the chat with the person or people you want to share it with. Tap the Attach button, find Location, and then Share Live Location. Then, select how long you want to share your location for (15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours), and tap Send.

At that point, everyone in the chat with you will be able to see your live location on a map. If more people share their live locations you will all be visible on the same map. And if you want to disappear again you can simply stop sharing your live location at any time, or just wait for the timer to run out.

Live Location is rolling out to WhatsApp on Android and WhatsApp on iOS over the next few weeks.

Use Common Sense When Sharing Your Location

I won't ever feel comfortable sharing my location on WhatsApp, no matter how safe and secure it is on paper. With that in mind, we recommend you play it safe when using this feature. Which means only sharing your location with people you trust for short periods when you need to. And that's sensible whether you're using WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or even Google's Trusted Contacts.

Do you use WhatsApp? If so, how do you feel about sharing your real-time location with other people on there? Have you already shared your live location on another messaging app? Are you not worried about this data getting in the wrong hands? The comments are open below!

Image Credit: Marco Verch via Flickr