The option to send your current location to someone is not only a useful feature but is also useful during an emergency. You don’t need a separate app to share your whereabouts with your contacts when you have an iPhone. You can use iMessage to send your location to other iPhones and Apple devices.
This article shows you how to share your location via iMessage. You’ll also see how to spoof your location if the need arises. Let us begin!
How to share your location via iMessage
Knowing how to share your location can help you in several scenarios. For example, when you meet your friends and want to let them know where you are now. It can also be beneficial if you get lost in a new city and need directions. Additionally, sharing your current location with your contacts can save your life in critical situations.
While there are apps that allow you to share your location with friends, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, iPhone owners can use the pre-installed “Message” app (iMessage) to avoid adding more space-consuming apps.
iMessage is a pre-installed messaging app on iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch devices. It’s a great app for texting your friends, but you can also share images, contacts, documents, videos, and location data. Note that Sharing your location via iMessage is only possible if you and your friend both have iPhones or other iOS devices with iMessage..
Also, keep in mind that your iPhone’s location services must be enabled so you can share your location with anyone. This is how you can check:
- Gonna “Settings” on your iPhone.
- Proceed to “Privacy” on the menu.
- Tap on “Location services.”
- Toggle the “change“ to enable this option.
- Or go to “Contacts” or the “Messages” application.
- Find the contact you want to send your location to.
- Tap their name at the top of the screen.
- Go to the “Send my current location” option.
Your iPhone will send your location immediately. For more information about location data, tap the minimized map in the chat. You will be able to see the exact coordinates, the time the location was sent, and what website it was sent from (in this case, it will be maps.apple.com). The person on the other end of the message can do the same.
If the recipient taps the “Directions” button, they will be taken to the “Maps” app. Not only that, but they will receive the fastest possible directions to reach you. Once they receive your location, they will automatically be asked if they also want to share their location with you.
Apart from the “Send my current location“ option in iMessage, you also have the “Share my location“ characteristic. From this point, you can choose between “Share indefinitely” “Share until the end of the day” and “Share for an hour.” This tool is useful when you are traveling to a new place and want your friends or family to be aware of your whereabouts at all times. However, be careful when sharing your location for long periods of time as it will drain the battery.
There is another way to send your location using iMessage and it’s even faster. This is how you do it:
- Open the “Messages” application.
- Go to the contact with whom you want to share your location.
- Write “I’m in.”
Your current location will appear in the suggestion box.
You can also send your current location directly from the Maps app. This is what you should do:
- Start the “Maps” app on your iPhone.
- Swipe up the menu from the bottom of the screen.
- Tap on the “Share my location” button.
- Choose the “Messages” icon.
- Select the person you want to share your location with.
- Play the “arrow up“ icon to send it.
Can you send a fake location?
There is no direct way to send someone a fake location with iMessage. This is because your iPhone is programmed to detect GPS spoofing. For this reason, it is risky to use “forbidden” methods to spoof your location, as it may cause your iPhone’s software to shut down. However, it is not impossible.
One way to change your location on your iPhone is by jailbreaking. However, this is a complicated process that can cause system problems and ultimately break your iPhone. If you are still interested in how to jailbreak your iPhone, you can find more information about the entire process. here.
Another way to send a fake location on your iPhone is with the iTools app. The app provides location spoofing, in addition to several other features, including music, photo, and video transfers, ringtone customization, backups, and more. Once you install this app on your Mac, here’s what you need to do to spoof your location:
- Connect your iPhone using a USB cable.
- Run the “iTools” app on your Mac.
- Go to the ““Virtual locations” characteristic.
- Select “Begin.”
- Activate “Teleport Mode”.
- Choose the fake location and click “Move here.”
Your location will also be changed on your iPhone. From this point, follow the steps in the previous p to share where you currently are via iMessage.
Let people know where you are
Sending your location via iMessage helps your friends find you and prevents potentially risky situations. When both parties have Apple devices, you can use this pre-installed messaging app to its full potential.
