Are you into “location sharing”?
Posted by Objectively_Seeking@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 244 comments
I work with a bunch of Gen-Z folks. Among their friend groups, they all share locations. They like to look at the maps and see where people are. And sometimes they show up in those places. For instance, Jayden sees Aiden is at the food trucks, so he heads over there. Or Hazel notices Antoine is not where he said he was supposed to be!
This is considered normal, acceptable social behavior. Am I right that doing (and admitting you did) this in our generation made you controlling or stalkery? I do understand how friends use it now for safety—like to check on another friend who’s on a date—and that makes sense. But overall I feel pretty bleak about the degree to which we’re trading our privacy for temporary benefits.
I just really can’t think of a situation where I’d want even a friend to show up uninvited. Maybe I’m an outlier? Ok thanks for listening—I’ll now return to my grouchy introvert Gen-X cave.
WinterMedical@reddit
Share with family. My husband and kids can see me and I them. We don’t really use it much. I also can see where my elderly mom is. As long as people are respectful, it’s not an issue for us.
Apprehensive-Log8333@reddit
I don't have anyone to share my location with but if I did it would be super boring. "Oh she's at work. Now she's at home .25 miles away from work....ten hours have passed and she's back at work....GUYS! SHE WENT TO DOLLAR TREE! (calls me) Dude why are you at Dollar Tree? Oh your supervisor dragged you there? You're going right back to work, right? And then home? Cool cool"
Gwynnavere@reddit
Gross no. Unless it's temporary while you're out somewhere with people or your significant other, no.
Chanandler_Bong_01@reddit
That's a hard no from me on the location sharing.
BUT....if I had that technology in my peak social years 16-21, I'm sure I would have used it. My pager was my life back then, lol.
Due-Principle9112@reddit
My SO and I rarely even talk on the phone or text each other. I keep my location on, but private, for my own purposes. Like how many miles I drive, walk, etc. The only way that anyone has access to any of my personal or financial accounts is if I go missing. My SO and my oldest daughter know where I store that info, and can access it if they ever need to. I think location sharing is weird. It doesn't make sense to me. If I want someone to know where I am, I'll tell them. I would usually prefer not to be found, though.
GenXella@reddit
My husband and kids don't even get my location let alone friends and coworkers.😂
BeenzandRice@reddit
Location services turned off. Always.
Low_Cook_5235@reddit
It’s on for Me, husband and kids. Thats it.
hoppertn@reddit
Same for me but it is handy to check on where the kids are. I feel like a Narc every time I look though.
exscapegoat@reddit
Yeah don’t have kids but I’d only want to use that in an actual emergency
HighOnGoofballs@reddit
And read receipts
No one needs to know how long ago I read it before I actually replied
Average_Random_Bitch@reddit
Yeah, hate that too, and if they can see me typing.
HighOnGoofballs@reddit
I care less about the typing thing
Freakishly_Tall@reddit
And the ringer.
HighOnGoofballs@reddit
My 74yo MOM got mad I don’t answer the phone lol. I told her that shit is always on silent
Klutzy-Spend-6947@reddit
I’m trying to get my 78 year old parents into texting. It’s a challenge, lol.
LilJourney@reddit
Wait - that's a thing? And I can turn off the thing? Off to google how to do it ...
HighOnGoofballs@reddit
You had it on?
You’re banned from GenX, sorry
ZetaWMo4@reddit
My daughter keeps hers on because she wants people to know that she read their text and purposely didn’t reply.
HighOnGoofballs@reddit
Still way more info than I want to give them
Busy_Pound5010@reddit
Yeah, “so and so has read receipts requested…” request DENIED.
HighOnGoofballs@reddit
I didn’t even know that was a thing but hell nah, that’s even worse
irishgator2@reddit
Me neither
GeoHog713@reddit
Same!
External-Dude779@reddit
I still use the ole "I didn't hear the phone ring" excuse
RCA2CE@reddit
When I go to the grocery store I leave my phone at home
When my kid goes with me, I make her leave it at home too
My wife always calls when we get to the stop with her shopping list and I don’t want none of it
triple-bottom-line@reddit
I use the ole “I didn’t care. I still don’t, but I also didn’t.” excuse
Oatmeal_Savage19@reddit
Thanks Mitch - RIP
GeoHog713@reddit
It's less of an excuse these days
StepYaGameUp@reddit
So underrated.
GenXrules69@reddit
But so so nice/ peaceful / freeing
irishgator2@reddit
Always
butcherandthelamb@reddit
Always. Hell, I barely have any notifications turned on and I always turn off haptics.
Appropriate_Answer_2@reddit
No, I can't imagine. Some of my millennial coworkers do; one turned his off because he was engagement ring shopping and didn't want his girlfriend to know and she texted him and asked why it was off. That just seems to add a whole other level of suspicion into life that I don't want to deal with. Maybe if I ever went solo hiking or vacation for safety but not on a daily basis
oopswhat1974@reddit
I feel like (my opinion only) the people who have location on their spouses/SOs are also the people that share one social media account, and also that come to Reddit and post "so we always answer each other's phones and have each other's passwords and I happened to check a message alert on his phone while he was in the shower" and that's how she found out he was cheating.
"Not that she SUSPECTED anything" of course, but because they've never hid stuff like that before.
I get it (location) for traveling purposes, safety etc - but not for every day. I've been with my husband for nearly 15 years and wouldn't ever answer his phone/check his messages. I'm just like "hey you got a text alert" or if it's ringing "so and so is calling".
Freakishly_Tall@reddit
Yeah, separate phones, separate non-phone devices, separate computers, separate accounts. For everything. Private passwords.
When I die, evvvvverything goes with me.
The notion of spouses just sharing everything scares the shit out of sysadmin-me. I should probably make a point of making noise about that at work.
oopswhat1974@reddit
Right? But it's not like we have anything to hide, it's just...private
Freakishly_Tall@reddit
Well, nothing to hide in personal life. Lawyers, senior IT, consultants, doctors, C-levels, etc, all certainly do have things to hide. I'm starting to scare the hell out of myself thinking about Kids These Days not having boundaries.
As for the original topic, I can't imagine location sharing. But I'm allllmost jealous of kids who don't see it as a source of anxiety (like I would) but, instead, as a source of love and support and camaraderie... and I'm sure that comes from growing up with it... but it still seems like child abuse to me to MAKE your kids use it.
irishgator2@reddit
Dude, we were at happy hour with a few couples and all the moms were like ‘let’s see where (our college age daughters) are right now !!’
I’m like “No, STOP! Thats ridiculous, just don’t!!”
Of course they still did. Jesus
magster823@reddit
That drives me nuts. Most of my daughter's friends have to location share with their parents. She's 19 now, and the only times we've used it is when she's gone on dates with someone new, with her full approval.
I'm so glad I didn't grow up in this day and age. My parents probably would have wanted me to share all the time, and that would have made all the sneaking around I did so much harder! Haha
Freakishly_Tall@reddit
Shitfuck that's ... I dunno... some kind of horrific combination of terrifying, infantalizing, insulting, pointless, and more.
I mean, I would REALLY have liked to have known where either of my parents were when I was home alone as child and they were late, but the reverse? After about, I dunno, age 14?, that's just fucking surreal.
LilJourney@reddit
Eh - we have separate accounts but I know all their passwords, just because they prefer for me to do the "computer things". They know where I keep mine written down just in case they ever need/want them.
That said - neither of us have tracking apps or ever check the other one's phone or social media. We could - but why bother? We routinely hand them to each other to see pics of the grandkids, check out a funny, etc.
We're best friends, been through life/death together over 25 years and hoping for another 25 more.
I trust (and have trusted) them with my life - why would I guard my passwords?
Freakishly_Tall@reddit
Eh, to each their own, but as two professionals, we have shitloads of info the other cannot see, so being able to say, "no, I have no way to get into their systems at all" is a nice backstop should there ever be an issue.
Then again, I do dangerous shit for fun, so I have trusted infinitely (literally) more people with my life than with any of my passwords, but decades of sysadmin time probably colors my perspective there: Ain't nobody gets root.
GuiltEdge@reddit
I need it otherwise I would be constantly messaging them "When will you be home?" And of course they wouldn't respond while they're driving.
Now I can see they're about 20 minutes away so we can start getting dinner sorted.
foilrat@reddit
I have biometric access to her phone, and vice-versa. I think I've used it once when I wanted to look something up and forgotten my phone. I asked first, of course.
I'm home_IT, so I set up devices, networks, back-ups, etc, but I sure as hell don't go through her computer.
Harlequin80@reddit
Nah. My location is shared with my wife and hers with me. We don't share social media accounts or answer each others phones or anything like that.
But the ability to check to see if she's driving back from dance with the kids yet so I can start dinner is super useful.
SouxsieBanshee@reddit
My teenagers do this with their friends. They all have each other’s locations, not just sharing locations on their iPhones but also on the different apps. I just found out that they also use Life360 for each other. My oldest daughter and her boyfriend have it set to notify each other whenever they leave the house and school. I think it’s weird and stalkery.
Average_Random_Bitch@reddit
Yeah, big ass nope for me. In very rare occasions, yes, but maybe once a year rare.
And uninvited guests are on my top five of things I hate most in the world. The casual drop by is no bueno.
1st_sailonsilvergirl@reddit
It never in a million years occurred to me to use any location sharing on my phone. I wouldn't ask my husband to share his location either. It's unthinkable to distract myself with looking at my phone to follow where my husband goes. Why?! I've got work to do, a business, a house to keep clean, a demanding cat, a garden to keep alive in drought. And people have time to track where people go?!
My sister-in-law who is Gen X and niece and nephew who are Gen Z track each other 24/7. They're living in different countries, but still, they're at home or they're at work or shopping or going to the movies or whatever, why does everyone need to know? You can track if a phone is by a living room sofa or next to the bed. WTF?! Sharing that was bizarre to me.
Tech has worn down people's privacy in exchange for these "benefits," and people are primed for tech to take more and more data without paying people for such profitable data about themselves. And I'm in the data business. I'd like to be paid for the personal data I produce.
exscapegoat@reddit
Yeah. I’ll location share when I’m driving, I generally drive alone. I used it for a family surprise party and let the host know I shared location. If I’m in traffic but can’t easily pull over, they can see where I am.
I also location share with friends or family if we’re meeting up. I met up with a friend in Hudson Yards and the place was tricky to find so location shared so she could see where I was and find it more easily
I’d also location share if I was living with someone. Unfortunately there have been occasional terrorist incidents, bad accidents and other incidents. Sometimes it can be hard to get a text or call through. Being able to see where I am could put someone’s mind at ease in a situation like that.
Pink_Floyd_Chunes@reddit
Nope.
Naive-Beekeeper67@reddit
Exactly. I DO not get it at all. I would absolutely hate that. Find no value in it and find it stalking type behaviour.
I would be mortified and disgusted if my partner even suggested it. And i would never consider doing it to my children either.
If i want to know where someone is? I ask them. Its up to them to decide if they want to tell me. Their right as a person to have privacy.
Graphite-and-Glitter@reddit
As someone who has been stalked and had law enforcement ban said stalker from my place of employment: hell to the no.
Oatmeal_Savage19@reddit
Never have it on - I don't need to see where people are and no one needs to see where I am
RCA2CE@reddit
No - I don’t want to track someone, that feels weird.
I also don’t care who knows where I am - it’s me looking at where they are that gives me the creeps
Relevant_Wrangler830@reddit
Is this only an IPhone feature, or does Android have it?
boredtxan@reddit
you can do it on Google maps
Relevant_Wrangler830@reddit
Gotcha. Thanks
jtphilbeck@reddit
You will never know my location unless I am standing before you.
OrbAndSceptre@reddit
Location services only for my immediate family. Anyone else is super creepy.
BreakfastBeerz@reddit
I location share with family 100% of the time. I have location sharing with some friends, but I only ever turn it on if there is a reason.
emilythequeen1@reddit
A bit of confession, I stalk my youngest three kids.
Not really of course, but I do check on them.
They’re 21, 19, and 17.
Before I go to bed at night, I look where their little dot is on the map, and feel happy that they’re at home, school or work, or with their friends. Maybe it’s creepy, or just my last bit of control before I let them go.
Part of this is because as they got older I couldn’t really rest completely until I knew they were home safe.
Also, I let them stalk me too. So they always know where their creepy mom is.
JBarretta01@reddit
If there is a digital equivalent to Get Off My Lawn I'd like to know what it is
boyracer93@reddit
I would not watch a show focused on Jayden, Aiden, and Hazel.
Antoine is the only character with any depth.
BCCommieTrash@reddit
If I'm on my way to friends or family, I location share with the relevant people for the duration.
If I have my sister's kids, sister gets a location share.
108_Minutes@reddit
Hell no! Get off my lawn.
sunniblu03@reddit
I feel like they like to hang out with each other impromptu and I just can’t do that. I got to get my mind right for socializing.
PoopPant73@reddit
Location off unless I’m hunting in the mountains then it’s on.
Objectively_Seeking@reddit (OP)
I just noticed it’s my cake day! Please celebrate with a slice of pie, on your own, nowhere near me.
Distinct_Plankton_82@reddit
Don’t tell me how to live my life! You’re not my mom!
LilJourney@reddit
You're not the boss of me! I had a cookie instead. :) Happy cake day!
brande1281@reddit
Can I have a Milky Way Dark? I'm working and can't get away.
Unlikely_Side9732@reddit
Happy cake day!
PeopleLikeUDisgustMe@reddit
Happy cake day!
🍻 🍻
A couple of rounds from somewhere.
Btw, location is always off, all of my internet history is off, I erase everything.
thisquietreverie@reddit
I will and we will continue to never talk sometime.
Independent_Ad_5664@reddit
I can see you :) 🤣 happy cake day.
AzureGriffon@reddit
Delicious, thanks!
Devilimportluvr@reddit
Happy cake day!
MommaBear354@reddit
😂🤣😂 consider it done. And I won't tell you where I am either
Distinct_Plankton_82@reddit
I just found out about this. It’s a big thing for them (seems to be girls more than boys). Apparently it’s considered really rude to turn it off.
Like what the actual fuck?
I guess to a certain extent we had it, in that people would sometimes show up at your door if they were in the neighborhood, but honestly, I’m glad that shit has gone away.
Harlequin80@reddit
I feel like this is massively overblown. I share my location with my wife and my kids and they share theirs with me. I also have a few mates that I can see their location and vice versa as well.
My wife and kids is great, as it lets me know exactly when to start cooking dinner so it's ready as they get home. I mean sure, I could ask them to text me, but they will forget sometimes or something will come up. Much better for my home automation system to say "Wife has left dance school" and now I know it's 25 mins til dinner time.
As for my mates, I don't get to see them anywhere near as much as I want to. Life, work, family, chores, same old story. So if I'm in the city for a meeting and have a gap I'll check if any of them are nearby and drop them a message asking if they fancied a coffee. Just because I know where they are doesn't mean I'm going to randomly drop in on them. I know where they live, I wouldn't just drop in there either.
GenXrules69@reddit
I still think of the phone as a benefit for the caller.
Bastyra2016@reddit
Except that is how we grew up. Go to a friends house and ring the bell to see if they are home. Cruise by the pool or the park to find your crew. I have it turned on but only for my sister as I travel a lot and I like someone knowing where I am. There isn’t a need to give others access as they can text me and ask me where I am. No one has dropped by in over 15 years. I kind of miss that spontaneity
Reeeeallly@reddit
It was fun! Especially after I got my first car. You see Marla's car at Tastee-Freez, you pop in for a soda and say hi to everyone. I miss that spontaneity as well.
foilrat@reddit
There are two times I will location share:
As a joke when my partner asks where I am, and I'm almost there.
When I'm on a motorcycle trip, I'll leave it on. If I end up in a ditch, at least she'll have a good starting point.
There was one time when we (partner and I) took my mom to a foreign country. We did share location for the trip, just in case.
Other then that...SWF vibes, and creepy as fuck.
meipsus@reddit
I had just read this in another sub. It's funny how each generation sees what the other considers normal as stalkerish and creepy.
WhoKnew50@reddit
I like knowing where my family and parents are and that’s it.
boredtxan@reddit
have a college age son and he's on of the few not tracked by his parents.
Nicetillnot@reddit
Fuck no. No one kept tabs on me as a feral child, whyvstart now.
Roguefem-76@reddit
I feel like that's an Apple thing, and I'm a sworn Android user, so I'm not familiar with it. How does it work exactly? Do you have to approve someone to let them track you. Can you block a particular person from seeing where you are?
If those were the cases then it might be okay, but if it's just something anybody can do, then helllll no.
Beefgrits@reddit
I do avoid cloud services, but I'm already giving up the location privacy by using the mobile device in the first place, so I do use the find my device stuff and I do share location with people that I would be pleasantly surprised to see in a random encounter.
Ecthelion510@reddit
I share locations with my husband because I'm frequently driving by myself late at night, and if I'm not home when I say I'm going to get home, he can check to see if I'm en route or in a ditch. That's it. (And this was my decision, he didn't ask it of me, nor has he ever abused the privilege. As far as everyone else in the universe is concerned: they don't need to know where I am.
I_Did_The_Thing@reddit
Absolutely not ever.
SnatchAddict@reddit
I do it with my wife. I don't have friends in my 50s to share it with.
Park-D@reddit
Same here.
DomainStripper@reddit
Aside from the stalking aspects it isn't a good cybersecurity practice. All location access is turned off.
Fishy1911@reddit
I don't share my location with anyone for any reason. I barely tell my wife what trailhead I might go to. I get creeped out that my friends track their kids. I don't want to know where anyone is, and don't want anyone to know where I am. I give the "I should be home Saturday night, but don't worry until Sunday night. And I'm headed here..."
TakkataMSF@reddit
Each generation gives up a little privacy for convenience. My mom refused online banking for the longest time. She has it now but doesn't like it. Streaming is out, because they don't need to know what she likes (she comes here to watch, thanks mom).
I asked for her SSN once and got the third degree about it. What's it for? Who is going to see it? Why do they want it?
Only signed up for facebook when she got a grandchild and my sister shares pictures through it.
Our generation could sign up for facebook without being a 'real' person. I wanted to DELETE my account, and they asked me for a photocopy of my driver's license. I was like, fuck you facebook. Now people have TikTaks and InstantGrammy's and then half of them are Twits too, they use Tweeter (AKA X which is such a stupid name I won't even make fun of it).
Share profiles, share locations, share lives, toss around the SSN to whomever. Damn near everyone is going to get hit with credit card fraud at some point. I got a notice from some company I didn't know existed that my data was compromised. These fucking companies and... no, no rants!
Kids these days aren't losing much by sharing the info. They're comfortable with it. My Silent Gen grandmother didn't like writing checks, never bought anything on credit, cash. Like I said, we all give up a little bit for convenience.
Now, I need to send photographs of my bum to some doctor for telehealth!
JanaT2@reddit
No way leave me alone and get off my lawn goddammit
Iwentforalongwalk@reddit
Never . I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing. It's just weird
Noirjyre@reddit
If I want ppl to know where I am I’ll tell them. The rest of that can piss off.
Blackgurlmajik@reddit
SHARE MY LOCATION!!!!! GTFOH!!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Nope, im an actual adult. If i see ANYONE i know while im out, it is purely by accident. Im not sharing shit. Least of all, where i am to people i work with. Im Gen X, i dont need any help hiding the bodies. That how you go to jail.😂😂😂
AlaskanMinnie@reddit
Eh back before cell phones, in a small town, if you wanted to find someone, you drove around and looked for their car parked in front of a house/store ... this is their tech version of that
fjvgamer@reddit
I'd totally do with with my friends when I was young. I grew up before cell phones and life was endlessly roaming/driving around looking for people or a party.
I'd not do it with everyone, but my circle would have done it. We hung out every night.
MaryBitchards@reddit
I think I would've loved it. Big night of bar-hopping and you can quickly see where your friends are hanging? Perfect. Would've really helped in college.
ChildhoodOk5526@reddit
Are you sure about that?
What about those times after leaving the bar when you 'decided' to drop in at Jake's apartment-- you know, the guy you swore to your friends you were done with-- and you just happened to stay the night?
Do you really want to hear them b*tching at you the next day, or would you rather do your walk of shame solo, with only your conscience judging you ... hmm?
[This is hypothetical, obvs.]
kritycat@reddit
We call it a victory lap these days
DidntDieInMySleep@reddit
🤣🤣🤣🤣
MaryBitchards@reddit
Oh, I had no filter whatsoever. My friends knew every time I did the a.m. slink.
Pitiful-Werewolf4173@reddit
Happy cake day! As to the original question.. from one Gen X to the next, location sharing is WEIRD.
dancegoddess1971@reddit
My oldest does this with his friend group. They tease him for driving around aimlessly after work. He complains that they call him if he gets too close to their locations without popping in. I never watched his location because I was raised that people like privacy. I guess that changed at some point.
jpkmets@reddit
Never
absolved@reddit
This sounds horrifying. Please, do not show up to where I am, I beg you lol
Final-Beginning3300@reddit
Absolutely not. 🙄
Linfinity8@reddit
My kids have it, and my best friend has it. I doubt any of them even remember, but it makes me Feel like someone would be able to find me if I went missing.
UncleFlip@reddit
Nope
I assume there's an app for that. We don't use it. Wife and I are normally together, but when we aren't I guess it could be handy. Just never thought of it.
And I don't think our adult kids would be interested.
No way with anyone outside that circle.
OkCalbrat@reddit
Oh Hell No! I'm a total introvert and would freak the fuck out if my friends were constantly showing up unannounced! I like my solitude & I don't need to hear crap from other ppl about where I go!
BulljiveBots@reddit
We used to call that “stalking”.
EcelecticDragon@reddit
Oh hells no. I am way too private for that bullchit.
Laylay_theGrail@reddit
I have it on with my husband and my adult kids (who voluntarily share). Daughter is in another country and time zone, so I check if she’s home before I call.
One son turned his off for a few months and I never mentioned it but it’s back on now🤷♀️
Taodragons@reddit
The wildest thing I've heard lately is since my daughter is the FNG (Fucking New Guy) at her job they make her do coffee runs and they all just hand her their debit cards........
ZetaWMo4@reddit
Only with my kids and my husband. I offered to stop sharing location with my kids as they were going off to college but they refused. They apparently enjoy knowing where their parents and siblings are. I’m pretty sure they all share their location with their partners as well.
gringo-go-loco@reddit
I share it but only for safety reasons. I work remote so I’m 95% of the time at home. Lol
general-illness@reddit
This is why every town has a bar called “The Office” 😜
Certain-Ad-5298@reddit
These folks also monitor how long ago a text was opened without a response and all sorts of boundary defying anti autonomy behaviors. I’m wholly ok not being hip to the new ways.
prettybirdie_714@reddit
I still go places without my phone.
rubbish_heap@reddit
I take it but when I get home it goes by the door with my wallet and keys. No carrying it around the house. Some of my friends/family I would swear it never leaves their hands.
dontbeajoiner@reddit
I have location sharing with my wife, my parents, my college roommate and his wife, and about 10 other friends. I do have a couple friends who won't participate, but the majority love it.
We do joke around and call each other "stalkers" if someone makes a comment on where one of us is. But we find it really fun and useful.
Beautiful_Rhubarb@reddit
It hink most people in this thread are forgetting the whole FRIENDS part. You share your location with people you LIKE, not just randos off the street lol. Last week when the location wasn't working due to the solar storm my kids were going nuts haha. I hated it bec one thing I like it for is knowing when to meet the bus. I had to go to the school on blind faith and ended up almost an hour too early haha
SprinklesWilling470@reddit
I'm old enough to remember when people just went places, never called, never checked in and eventually they just showed back up. 🧓 Having said all that, I am at an age where I would not go anywhere at least without carrying a mobile phone with me.
Purple_Pansy_Orange@reddit
Mine are turned on while I’m hiking and traveling That’s it. No one needs to know what I’m doing.
NegScenePts@reddit
Nah, not a chance.
Beautiful_Rhubarb@reddit
it's not control or stalkery if you agree and think it's fun. No one is forcing anyone to location share, but the people that do it are fine with it. I do with my family for a variety of reasons and quite honestly sick of being called a stalker. I also use other apps for locations to help with home automation routines, which is another thing I find that crochety old gen-xers tend to pooh pooh lol My kids like knowing where we are.
ArdenM@reddit
Ringer off, notifications off, location sharing off, read receipts off. I am the master of my own domain and if *I* want to be in touch, I will be. If I want you to know where I'm going and want to see you, I'll invite you. The End. -Extroverted GenX
fraurodin@reddit
Fuck no. My phone is also on silent 24/7, idgaf. I remember the pure joy of tooling around different cities and counties, jamming to music, with or without friends, no one knowing where you were
RidiculousDear@reddit
Fuck no.
Joe_Early_MD@reddit
Yeah, no we aren’t doing that.
Zerly@reddit
I share my location with three people. I honestly don’t care if they know where I am and it’s an added safety feature. I’d be surprised if they randomly looked up where I was, never mind regularly
Silent-Row-9684@reddit
I’m single, so I’ve shared my location with 4 friends. I have a couple of theirs. It’s a safety thing. I’ll share location with friends/family for an hour or the end of the day, in case we’re meeting somewhere and can’t find each other. But it’s not like we constantly checking each others locations. That’s just weird 🤣
Valuable_Tomorrow882@reddit
I share with my husband & vice versa. Since I have a long commute with super crappy traffic, it is always a crap shoot whether it will take me 45 mins or 2 hours. He can check my location if he’s wondering where I am. Vice versa, he has a more sporadic schedule and I like to gauge if there’s enough time for me to take a shower in peace before he gets home and is going to want the only bathroom in our house.
Some people see location sharing as stalkery and controlling, but that is literally all we use it for.
Adventurerinmymind@reddit
People showing up where I am is one of my biggest nightmares, so no, no locations. Phone is on silent always. Text me, don't call and leave a message, and I'll get back to you
realist2920@reddit
My daughter and her roommates share locations but it a safety thing. Early 20s, college town...Hey, Kayla meeting that new guy and she's not home...why's her location showing the garbage dump? ...
That kind of thing....
GogglesPisano@reddit
I share my location with my wife and my kids (both in their 20s), but it’s a safety thing rather than a social thing.
muphasta@reddit
I don't share my location with my wife and kids, let alone acquaintances/coworkers/strangers.
Only person that needs to know where I am is me, and I have WAZE for that!
icrossedtheroad@reddit
"So, I see you haven't left your house, AGAIN."
Pantokraterix@reddit
I do it if I am buying something on FB marketplace or kijiji or meeting a sales opportunity but I turn it off when I am safe
Music19773@reddit
Not me. Unless it’s an emergency with close friends or family, I can’t see any reason I would ever turn on location sharing. I don’t want people to know where I am or be able to reach me unless I am up for interaction with others. The introvert + the drained educator in me just wants peace and quiet after I leave work.
Resident-Fox6758@reddit
Only my grandkids have my location share. It works well for me. They come over when I’m home for food or a side
sharksfan707@reddit
My wife and I are childfree but we share locations amongst ourselves. When we went to Europe a couple years ago, we shared our locations with a couple trusted friends just in case something were to happen.
Bobby_Globule@reddit
Same here. It helps us logistically, "Oh, you're near the hardware store?"
Jimathomas@reddit
I only share location with my family. No one else needs to know where I am. Ever.
assylemdivas@reddit
We have our location services on. I have a disabled adult daughter who is very social. We felt safer knowing where she was, and a few times found her in bad places, where we had to go get her. My husband and I just feel safer knowing someone can find us if something bad happens.
unknowntravellert@reddit
It’s the new version of finding where all the bikes are
DoLittlest@reddit
Fuck no.
michelle48073@reddit
I am border gen x/boomer (1966) mine is on for my wife and 2 friends who have a cabin in the woods. They like to atv and they know they can count on me to come ‘a runnin’ if anything happens.
TruCarMa@reddit
Nope - I still yearn for the days when only doctors and drug dealers had pagers, for gods’ sake.
justagirlexploring@reddit
Only with my spouse and children.
My youngest child is GenZ and shares her location with us and a select group of close friends but they don’t live local to each other.
I_Dont_Like_Rice@reddit
I spent my career in IT and where I am is nobody's business but mine. And I may or may not respond to a text within 72 hours. I don't want anyone thinking I'm held hostage by a damned phone.
Beruthiel999@reddit
Hell no
ColonelBourbon@reddit
Logical and safe, just gotta pick your people
face_eater_5000@reddit
Just my wife and I share our locations, but since we now work from home full time it's kind of irrelevant.
throw123454321purple@reddit
Only when I’m getting picked up at the airport or taking a trip alone.
MyDadBod_2021@reddit
My partner and I share location on Snap, but we are LDR, so we aren't showing up at each others place. We do it more for travel
CatelynsCorpse@reddit
I don't even share my location with my husband, I'm sure as hell not sharing with my damn coworkers.
Pizza-n-Coffee37@reddit
That’s weird, what are you doing that you don’t want him to know about?
CatelynsCorpse@reddit
Why would you assume that I'm doing anything that I don't "want" him to know about? I said I don't share my location with him, not that I wouldn't. 🙄
wonderful_lock_130@reddit
Not into it. I'm not grouchy or anything. Just not into being tracked like that.
Right now, there aren't many people I'd want to see showing up in places I'm at, lol. So my "sharing" list would be rather small.
I'm not 100% opposed to ever doing it, but they'd have to be a hell of a good friend.
No, it's not stalkerish if you agree to share your location. It's stalkerish if you don't.
BrownDogEmoji@reddit
No one needs to know where the fuck I am.
Bunnyfartz@reddit
No.
My wife has the location app with our son but I declined to join their little group. That's creepy.
NotACongressman@reddit
So creepy. No location sharing ever. If I want you to know where I am I will tell you.
SlipstreamSleuth@reddit
I share with my nephew, my 80+ year old in-laws, husband, and alcoholic brother (so I can keep tabs on him). Also share with certain friends only when we go on vacation so we can see where everyone is, where to meet up, etc. Sometimes when taking a trip, I share with others.
TBH, I'm boring, and don't really give AF if people know where I am.
Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit
On family road trips - Grandma and Grandpa are just past St. Louis, Auntie Katie and the kids are ten miles behind them, etc. Uncle Dave is already at the hotel.
That shit is super helpful. ANY other circumstance? Forget it.
BigFatBlackCat@reddit
I think it’s good they keep an eye on each other.
Objective-Holiday597@reddit
Share my location? That’s one hard no
Helenesdottir@reddit
No and don't tag me in pictures either. Or check ins. I had a friend do that 15 years ago on FB and told her that I would be blocking her when I got home. I had a real-life stalker and don't need anyone being able to find me easily. I also don't allow voice assistants in my house.
stopcallingmeSteve_@reddit
I don't like it. I share with my kids and they're the only people I snap so they're on that map too, but broadly no. I remember if you saw a bunch of BMX bikes that's where everyone was. I pulled up in my sick ass Kuwahara and it was time for ball, baby!
LeoMarius@reddit
Nope
IndependentMethod312@reddit
I only have locations for my kids, but mine are off and they only share with me and my husband, not with their friends. My husband and I don’t share with each other either.
MNGirlinKY@reddit
My spouse has my location (and I his) and that’s it.
This would be weird if I did it with my friends. I’m not going to go to the food truck or meet someone elsewhere because they are nearby.
HatRemov3r@reddit
Only my brother has my location just in case.
kalelopaka@reddit
No, I prefer that no one knows where I am at any given time. It’s bad enough that I carry around a personal gps with me everywhere.
chaseinger@reddit
absolutely not. if someone wants to know where i am they can ask me.
only exception: wilderness hikes. my ice gets my location. if i happen to have my phone turned on.
jessek@reddit
fuck no.
Sinsyne125@reddit
My wife and I share our locations through our phones -- mainly for safety reasons when traveling separately.
I share locations with friends if we happen to be traveling with each other in an area in which we are unfamiliar.
That's about it.
I don't know where my head would be at if I were younger and back in college or whatnot. It might be fun.
But, in middle age, I don't need to know where my friends are... I'm not just going to show up where my friends are at 11pm on a Tuesday and find an "instant party" happening. Those were fun days, but they are way in the rear-view mirror at this point.
HerNameIsVesper@reddit
Hell no.
bm1949@reddit
No shit. Why would you volunteer what's left of your privacy without a compelling reason?
hatetochoose@reddit
My kids, young women.
My good friend traveling solo overseas.
That was handy, because on a few occasions I could guide her to a location. Once I was able to guide her to a bus, because apparently they even suck in Europe.
mam88k@reddit
I am not, but thinking back to my college days and early "adulting" I would probably have done that. We wasted so much time trying to meet up with people on the weekends. I get why it's a bad idea now, but youth is for the young.
Happy_Confection90@reddit
I had a similar thought. I probably would have in college.
microgiant@reddit
I'd like to believe I go places so interesting people would like to know, but I better hide my location.
That's not real. I'm at home, I'm at the grocery store, I'm... Yeah. Doesn't matter if I have location services on or off.
kalista08@reddit
I share my location with my immediate family when I travel by car, just as a safety precaution.
It eases my mother's anxiety to be able to check on my progress when i travel the 5 hours to her without my needing to be on my phone answering texts/calls while driving.
SomeCrazedBiker@reddit
Everyone knows I'm always home.
SHDrivesOnTrack@reddit
I turn it on using the iPhone feature to activate it only for a limited time, usually until the end of the day.
I do this when meeting up with a friend like "hey, lets meet up after the ball game for dinner at a pub" so we have some idea of when we might expect them to arrive without them having to text us updates. Or if 2 or 3 friends are all driving in separate cars to a location so we don't worry too much about getting separated, or know how long to wait because someone stopped for gas on the way. Also sometimes when out in the woods. (with someone not with us)
I don't keep it running all the time, for anyone.
zoot_boy@reddit
LOL - “you dead bro? Haven’t moved in 4 days??”
Own_Elderberry6812@reddit
My 18 yr old shares his location with all his friends.
My 21 yr old met me for a father son weekend and his fraternity brothers were like “dude where you at?” And when they learned he was gone they said “you don’t just do that”.
In some ways I find it dear that they really care about and watch each other.
But for me. No location services. I’m Gen X mf’er no one ever knew where we were (or cared) so not gonna change now. 😂
Retiree66@reddit
My adult children and I share our locations. Mainly just for fun. When I was teaching high school a few years ago, it was common for friend groups to share locations with each other, and a lot of families used the Life360 app.
FujiKitakyusho@reddit
I often go out without my phone because I'm wary of sharing my location with my network service provider and Google. To share it with individuals? Yeah, no.
MoonageDayscream@reddit
Our kid is the only one we track. Hubby works from home and I am a creature of habit so there's little to be gained by tracking us.
Adaminium@reddit
Where am I gonna be?! I’mma be where I’m at!
BillDuki@reddit
Hell No, and while we’re at it, read receipts are also turned off!
Every-Cook5084@reddit
Yep. I wish I could disable typing indicators too
Mean_Fae@reddit
Yes.
Mean_Fae@reddit
I used to play that game on FB when it first came out. Then i realized it was my worst nightmare.
B00bsmelikey@reddit
Did I order food? No? Not answering the door. Might even turn the volume up just enough so they can hear it but know it's not loud enough to drown out their knocking.
WillowFreak@reddit
I share with my adult kids. But the 3 of us hardly ever use it. It's there just in case.
TheGreatOpoponax@reddit
No just no, but hell no.
And if someone is about to kill me, that's fine. I've seen enough anyway.
Chai-Tea-Rex-2525@reddit
My kids do that with their friends.
I share location with my kids. Once, when I was entertaining a new lady friend at her house, they noted that I was in a new house. Not fun.
Eat_Your_Paisley@reddit
My daughter shared her location with us but I’m not sure if she did with her friends
BabiesWithScabies@reddit
I appreciate location sharing at times. My wife and I own a 20 year old car that is somewhat road worthy. When she needs to take it out of town I ask her to share location because it makes me feel better to check on her periodically just to see that she's still progressing in her travels.
I also grew up as part of a "call when you get there" family. My wife most definitely did not. If she shares her location then she's happy not to have to remember to call when she gets there
apex_flux_34@reddit
I share with my wife, and she with me. My younger sister shares hers with me but I don't share with her.
IpsoFactoReacto@reddit
No, nope, no thank you
ZebraBorgata@reddit
Ugh, no. I’d hate that.
lavendergirl22@reddit
One of my coworkers said she and her husband don’t wear their wedding rings because they don’t like rings, but share their location with each other (I guess as a sign of their commitment).
MidwestAbe@reddit
I don't even track my teenage kids with location services. Why would I want "friends" to see where I am.
Coffey2828@reddit
I share location with my family but my sister who is younger, more millennial like, shares location with all her friends. My older cousins refuse to share locations even when they go out of town.
jefx2007@reddit
Fuck no.
luckyquail901@reddit
I only do it with my 19 yr old daughter.
sunshinelively@reddit
Same. She goes to the same college I attended - love seeing her there! Kinda makes me feel close to her. ❤️
EnergyCreature@reddit
When my kids (adults) travel they enable it for safety. When my wife and I visit new places we turn it on just in case.
I'm a safety person for a few friends so that when they go on dates they put me on but will take me off once they trust the new person they are seeing.
Atiteic@reddit
My husband and our adult kids do this too for safety reasons. I never check it unless I know they have gone out of town somewhere, but at least I know everyone is safe.
Reasonable_Smell_854@reddit
Fuck that…
I rarely use it, but keep a faraday bag in my bag for when I really just wanna be left the fuck alone. Power it off, wrap it up, and be reasonable assured I’ve gone dark
Feeling-Ad-2490@reddit
This is the way. Let me be a hermit, dammit.
Reasonable_Smell_854@reddit
I spent many years wandering the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico without a phone using map and compass and strategic planning to check in and out with friends. I mean that way someone would know where to look for my remains.
Fuck this always connected life
Djragamuffin77@reddit
Amen
Finding_Way_@reddit
Nope. Not at all. Not even sure I know how to do it.
And frankly, not sure that anybody cares where I am!
GoldStarGranny@reddit
I only do this with my elderly mom as she is very independent and likes to adventure alone but also is prone to falling and/or overestimating her physical abilities.
She also does forgetful old lady things like leaving her purse in coffee shops so it’s been helpful that way.
Devilimportluvr@reddit
I don't have enough friends for that. I know where both of my friends are
pinballrocker@reddit
I do it currently for trips with a bunch of friends. Also I female friend does it when she goes on solo hiking and road trips for safety concerns. Yeah, I was big on privacy for a long time until I gave up. It's a different world now, no sense living in the past.
Due-Coast-TX@reddit
Hell no!
VolupVeVa@reddit
i am with you. i've used it exactly twice with my youngest when she was traveling alone. having it permanently on skeeves me out. plus everyone already knows exactly where to find me (alone, in my room, listening to the cure with the curtains drawn).
InfectedSteve@reddit
Hell no. Location always off. Phone in dev-mode, permissions revoked from everything and apps uninstalled that I do not want on my phone by default.
For the younger generations, this is the 'bikes in the yard' equivalent I think with the location sharing.
Weird-Yesterday-8129@reddit
Location services only get turned on when I'm in a strange city and need to find a dispensary and a Popeyes. Also reddit is my only social media.
gotchafaint@reddit
Who knew George Orwell’s Big Brother would turn out to be our own kids. They have so sense of privacy or consent to privacy.
Djragamuffin77@reddit
Eff that. I work hard to have as small of a digital footprint as possible.
JohanBroad@reddit
Ugh! NO! I have location turned off on my phone, I don't 'check in' at fast food joints, or post pictures of my dinner.
You are correct. Sometimes I want solitude. I don't like the idea of someone showing up when I'm eating lunch because they saw I was there on their phone and decided to come and chat.
If I had kids, I'd have their phones tracked up until they're 16 or so, but I wouldn't even look at it unless I had cause for concern.
tdawg-1551@reddit
We do within the family, but I don't do that with anyone else. Not that I have friends who would be interested, but no way I'm going to share that with others.
CoastalKtulu@reddit
GenZ seems to have absolutely no sense of privacy and security. In my opinion, I don't think they believe it's necessary. Whenever a phone number is required to be entered into a work database, it's usually best to provide an alternate phone number, especially if you have a landline phone.
The stalker generation can "go fish", as far as I'm concerned.
Born_Ad_8370@reddit
Immediate family only. I would not enjoy someone just showing up where I am.
CarcajouCanuck@reddit
Only when I'm backpacking.
MaximumJones@reddit
The government knows where we are even with location turned off.
I sure as hell don't want my friends knowing too.
Mountain_Alfalfa_245@reddit
We share our locations as a family.
Our sons, who are 20 and 18 years old, share this with their friends. I find it odd because, growing up, they hated that they had to have Life360 on their phones. Now that they are adults, they enjoy seeing where all their friends are. Its obviously acceptable because they have a very large circle of friends sharing locations with each other.
midoxvx@reddit
The only reason i share my location is for my friends who are waiting for me somewhere get an ETA of my arrival and that maybe i had to do 5 times total in my life.
Other than that, hell no.
sd_glokta@reddit
That's how they get ya!
RedPlasticDog@reddit
Absolutely not.
Crazy gen-z folks