Temporary location sharing, and why it beats always-on
Sharing that ends by itself solves the problem permanent sharing creates. What temporary options exist, how long each lasts, and when to use them.
Almost every problem people have with location sharing comes from the same root: a temporary need solved with a permanent tool.
You set something up for a festival, a holiday, or a week when you were worried. Then it runs. Not because anyone decided it should - just because nothing ended it.
Temporary sharing removes that failure mode by design.
The options, and how long they last
| Tool | Duration | Ends by itself? |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp live location | 15 min, 1 hr, or 8 hrs | Always |
| Glympse | Up to about 4 hours | Always |
| Apple Find My | 1 hour, end of day, or indefinitely | If you pick a limit |
| Google Maps | A set period, or until you turn it off | Only if you pick a period |
| Nearby | A 2-hour meetup | Always |
The pattern worth noticing: the tools designed for conversations and events expire by default. The tools designed for relationships and families do not.
Neither is wrong. They are built for different jobs. The mistake is using the second kind for the first job.
Why “until you turn this off” rarely gets turned off
It is not carelessness. It is that turning it off has no trigger.
Nothing prompts you. There is no moment that says “this is over now”. The trip ends, life resumes, and the setting survives because nothing ever brings it back to your attention. Months later it is still running, and the list of people who can see you is a list you last thought about in another season of your life.
A session that ends by itself does not need you to remember. That is the entire argument.
Choosing a duration honestly
Pick the shortest one that covers the actual need, and re-share if you need more:
- 15 minutes - walking to meet someone, or a short taxi.
- 1 hour - a commute, an arrival, a single journey.
- 8 hours - a day out, a festival day, a long drive.
- A defined session - a meetup that ends when the meetup ends.
- Indefinite - only for a genuine ongoing arrangement, with real consent, reviewed occasionally.
If you find yourself picking indefinite because re-sharing is annoying, that is a signal to use a tool designed for sessions rather than to make a permanent arrangement out of convenience.
What temporary sharing does not fix
It is worth being clear about the limits:
- It does not stop the app collecting data while it is running. Check whether location history is stored.
- It does not help if someone pressures you to re-enable it every time it expires. That is a different problem and a serious one - see is location sharing safe.
- It does not cover genuine ongoing needs. If you want to know your teenager got home for the next three years, sessions are the wrong tool and you should choose a proper family app deliberately.
Where Nearby fits
We build Nearby, and it is built entirely around this idea.
A meetup runs for two hours and then it is over. There is no account, no friends list, and no ongoing arrangement to forget about. Live positions are never stored - they exist only while the meetup is running - so there is no history to leak, sell, or hand over. Leaving removes you from everyone’s map immediately, and you can turn sharing off while staying in the chat.
That design costs something: it cannot do the family-safety job at all. If you want that, use something built for it - Life360 alternatives covers the field.
The rule
Match the duration to the need. If the need has an end, use something that ends.
Nearby is free on Google Play. Two hours, no account, nothing stored.
Common questions
What is temporary location sharing?
Sharing that has a built-in end time, so it stops on its own rather than relying on you to switch it off. WhatsApp live location, Glympse links and Nearby meetups all work this way, in contrast to arrangements that run until cancelled.
Which apps let you share location for a limited time?
WhatsApp offers 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours. Glympse links expire within a few hours. Apple Find My offers one hour or until the end of the day. Google Maps offers a set period as well as an indefinite option. Nearby meetups run for two hours.
Is temporary sharing more private than permanent sharing?
In practice, usually yes - not because of stronger technology but because it cannot be forgotten. Most privacy problems with location sharing come from arrangements that outlive their purpose, and a session that expires cannot do that.