Review: We Put ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Bard to the Test

5 Location-sharing Apps That Aren't Run By Apple Or Google

Coordinating locations with friends and family can be a real hassle. "I'm by a big tree," "I'm standing on the corner," and "My car broke down but there are no signs so just drive along I-95 for a while" simply aren't helpful when there are multiple corners, dozens of trees, and 1,908 miles of Interstate 95.

It's a lot easier if you use an app that lets you share your location safely and privately—without broadcasting it to the world. Apple has put tools inside iOS for sharing your location from an iPhone, and Google has done the same in Google Maps, but there are also several third-party apps that can do the job well.

At first it might seem unsettling to let other people know exactly where you are, but you're in full control of who has this information and how long they have it for—and the next time you're trying to meet up with someone, this can save you a whole lot of time and a whole lot of messages.

Glympse Glympse will let you share your location for set periods of time, so it's OK if you forget to deactivate it. Screenshot: Glympse

Among the apps specifically built for location sharing, Glympse is one of the most comprehensive and competent. It's great for quick, customized location sharing with people who might not all be using the same brand of phone or the same apps, and there are mapping tools inside the app that will help you find friends and family.

You can send location shares—called, appropriately enough, glympses—over email, text, or through other apps as well as Glympse. If the recipient is on a computer, or using a phone without Glympse, the glympse shows up in that person's web browser instead, and only for the allotted time. You don't even need a Glympse account to share your location.

You get full control over who you share your location with and for how long, and you can set up private groups where everyone can see where everyone else is. Another handy feature is the option to add public tags to your glympses: They work a bit like social media hashtags, and you can use them to let the wider world know that you're at a music festival or a sports event.

Glympse is free for Android and iOS.

Life360 Maybe don't message someone while they're driving, though, unless they have voice-to-text set up. Life360

Life360 is aimed specifically at families, so you can keep tabs on where your kids are and make sure they're safe. You can get alerts when they turn up at home or school, see where they are on a map, and even get alerts if they may have been involved in a crash on the road. With Tile tracker support, you can track your possessions in the app too.

The map view is the center of the Life360 app. It lets you check up on where family members are in real time, and for peace of mind there's an SOS feature that lets anyone discreetly and quietly send an alert to their family. If your kids want a bit more privacy, they can share their general location rather than a precise spot on the map.

[Related: These smartphone settings could save your life]

You and your family can use Life360 free of charge, but you'll get access to more features if you sign up for one of the premium accounts, which start at $15 a month. Paying for the service means 30 days rather than two days of location history, alerts for an unlimited number of locations instead of just two, and a road crash detection feature.

Life360 is free for Android and iOS, with a premium version starting at $15.

Messaging apps

Beyond standalone apps dedicated to location sharing, you'll also find the feature built into several messaging and social media apps. If you want to temporarily share your location with a specific group of people—like when you're on a family vacation—you might find that these apps are a better fit for you.

How to share your location on WhatsApp WhatsApp lets you share your location in real time. Screenshot: WhatsApp

In WhatsApp, tap the paperclip icon at the bottom of any one-to-one conversation or group chat, then choose Location. You can choose between sending a single message showing where you currently are, or broadcasting your live location in real time for 15 minutes, an hour, or eight hours (with the option to cancel the sharing at any time).

It's perfect for quick and easy location sharing that you don't want to go on indefinitely, especially as you probably already have the necessary group conversations set up inside the app for your friends, family, colleagues, and special events. Don't worry: Your location will stay private within these group chats, or within the one-to-one conversation you've selected.

WhatsApp is free for Android and iOS.

How to use Snapchat's location settings Go Ghost Mode to stay off the Snap Map. Screenshot: Snapchat

Snapchat has a feature called Snap Map, which you can use to let your friends know where you are. No one who isn't your friend will be able to see your location, and you can limit it to certain friends if necessary. The Snap Map will also show you public snaps posted to the Snapchat network—usually showing off a particular place or event to the world at large.

Tap the map pin (bottom left) on Snapchat's camera screen to find the map and see where your friends are. Touch the cog icon (top right), and you can choose which friends can see where you are, or turn on ghost mode to temporarily hide your location. Your location only updates when Snapchat is open, and is removed from the map after 24 hours.

[Related: Make a Memoji that actually looks like you]

On this same screen, there's also a Share live option: This grants specific friends the privilege of seeing where you are in real time, and you can enable it for one hour, eight hours, or until you turn it off. It's a useful extra layer of location sharing you can enable for the people you trust the most, like your partner or your kids.

Snapchat is free or $4 a month for Android and iOS.

Share your location in Signal Signal won't track your location, but you can share map pins within your chats. Screenshot: Signal

The primary reason to get yourself and your friends on Signal is the security and privacy it offers: There's end-to-end encryption, the option to use disappearing messages, and (perhaps most importantly) it's run by a developer that isn't interested in advertising to you or trying to keep you locked inside its own ecosystem.

While it's not worth switching to Signal for its location-sharing features alone, it does have them, so you won't miss out on being able to let other people know where you are at specific times. Like everything else in Signal, location sharing is handled simply and securely, and can be done within one-to-one conversations or inside group chats.

At the bottom of the relevant conversation, tap the plus button in the bottom right corner, then choose Location from the menu that pops up. You'll then be able to confirm where you are before sharing your location—it's shared in a one-off message with the people inside the selected chat, so your location won't be updated in real time.

Signal is free for Android and iOS.

Journal App Missing In IOS 17: All You Need To Know

Apple has officially released iOS 17 for general users with tons of cool new features, ranging from a few like Contact Posters and FaceTime effects that you will absolutely use daily to some that you will forget once the novelty wears off. However, the Journal app is missing from iOS 17 at launch. Though Apple released the iOS 17 update to general users on September 18, 2023, you will notice that the Journal app is missing. If you want to know the release date of the iOS 17 Journal app, we have a few answers for you.

What is the Journal App in iOS 17?

Being reminded of life's special moments is a powerful thing. For instance, we often hear about how much people love watching memory movies created from the photos captured on their iPhones. And that's exactly where the new Journal app in iOS 17 comes into action. The Journal app helps users not only remember but also write about their experiences inspired by rich details from their day, including people, places, activities, and even music in addition to photos.

Apple has designed the Journal app to combat some of the major challenges people face during journaling. For example, the Journal app gives text prompts asking you questions about your day to help you draw out your thoughts. This can aid those struggling to overcome writer's block. You can even set up daily reminders if you find it difficult to remember to sit down and write in your journal.

iOS 17 Journal App Features Overview

While the Journal app is not available in iOS 17, Apple detailed some of its key features on stage at WWDC 2023. Here are the features you will find in the Journal app on iOS 17 once it is released:

1. Media-rich Journals

The primary feature of the Journal app will be to allow users to write journals with audio, photo, and video inputs. Users can write about their fond memories and include pictures, videos, and voice messages as well as location tags.

2. Theme-Based Journal Entries

On the stage, Apple said that users will have a range of theme options to choose from for writing an entry in the Journal app. Themes could be based on the locations you traveled to, the music you listened to, and the photos you clicked at a particular location or trip.

3. Personalized Suggestions

This is the biggest feature of the Journal app in iOS 17. Your iPhone will show personalized suggestions in the Journal app based on your photos, locations, music, podcast, and workout. These suggestions will be curated using on-device machine learning and there is also an option to choose the category from which you want the suggestions to show up in the Journal app.

iOS 17 Journal App Release Date

While the Journal app was introduced in the iOS 17 Keynote event at WWDC 2023, Apple made it clear that the app along with some other iOS 17 features would not debut with the first general release of iOS 17 firmware, and it did come true. So, we expect the Journal app to be available for download later this year with the release of a subsequent iOS 17 update.

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30 New IOS 17 Features Discovered (Video)

Apple recently released its new iOS 17 software update, it also released its new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro range of smartphones. Yesterday we heard about some settings you should consider changing in iOS 17, today we have another video.

The latest video is from Brandon Butch and it gives us a look at more than 30 hidden features that have been discovered in the new iOS 17 software update, lets find out some more details about these features.

As we can see from the video there are lots of new hidden features in the recently released iOS 17 software update, these include the Passcode and Home Screen, updates to the way apps are installed, and more, here are some details on some of the new features that have been discovered.

Passcode and Home Screen Use Your Previous Passcode for 72 Hours

Ever changed your passcode and then forgotten it? IOS 17 allows you to use your previous passcode for up to 72 hours after you've changed it. This gives you a safety net while you get used to your new security code.

New iOS 17 Apps Install on the First Available Slot

Gone are the days when new apps would randomly populate your home screen. Now, they will be installed in the first available slot, making it easier to locate them.

Shake to Undo Home Screen Changes

If you accidentally move or delete an app on your home screen, simply shake your iPhone to undo the change. It's that simple!

Keyboard and Timers 'Done' Button for Emoji Selection

Choosing an emoji has never been easier. A 'Done' button now appears after you've selected an emoji, allowing you to quickly switch back to the main keyboard.

Label Multiple Timers

You can now set multiple timers and label them. This is particularly useful for cooking, studying, or any activity that requires multitasking.

Messages and Safari Quick Photo Picker in Messages

Hold the "+" icon in Messages to quickly access the photo picker. This makes sharing photos in conversations a breeze.

Siri Reads Articles in Safari

Siri can now read articles for you in Safari, and you can even adjust the speaking rate to your preference.

Photos and Symbols Pinch to Zoom and Crop

When you pinch to zoom on a photo, a crop button appears, allowing you to easily crop the image to your liking.

Identify Laundry and Dashboard Symbols

iOS 17 can identify laundry care symbols and car dashboard symbols directly from photos. This can be a lifesaver when you're trying to decode those cryptic icons.

Screenshots and Phone App Full-Page Screenshots as Photos

You can now save full-page screenshots as normal photos, making it easier to share or archive them.

Report Junk Calls from 'Recents'

Junk calls can be reported directly from the 'Recents' tab in the Phone app, helping you maintain a cleaner call history.

Mail and Passwords in iOS 17 Easy Hyperlink Insertion in Emails

Inserting hyperlinks into emails is now more straightforward, enhancing your email composition experience.

Password Titles for Better Organization

You can now add titles to your saved passwords, making it easier to manage and locate them.

Spotlight and Audio Messages Add Events and Reminders from Spotlight

Spotlight now allows you to add events and reminders directly, streamlining your productivity.

Transcribed Audio Messages

Audio messages can be played at different speeds and are automatically transcribed, making it easier to keep up with your conversations.

Safari and Sharing Photos Per-Profile Extensions in Safari

Extensions in Safari can now be enabled or disabled on a per-profile basis, giving you more control over your browsing experience.

Location and Format Options for Shared Photos

When sharing photos, you can now choose the location and format options, offering more flexibility in how you share your memories.

Markup and Focus Modes Text in Shapes in Markup

You can now add text to shapes in the Markup tool, expanding its utility for annotations and note-taking.

Focus Modes and Notifications

Focus modes can be set to silence notifications only when the phone is locked, giving you peace of mind without missing important alerts.

Weather and Software Updates Customizable Units in Weather App

The Weather app now allows you to change units for wind, precipitation, pressure, and distance, tailoring the information to your needs.

Refresh Software Update Page

You can refresh the software update page without leaving it, making it easier to check for new updates.

Storage and Notes Sort iPhone Storage

Your iPhone storage can now be sorted by size, name, or last used date, helping you manage your device more effectively.

Link Notes Together

Notes can now link to other notes using ">>", making it easier to organize your thoughts and ideas.

Apple TV and Shortcuts Restore Apple TV Using iPhone

If your Apple TV needs restoring, you can now do it directly from your iPhone.

Camera Modes in Shortcuts

Shortcuts can now open specific camera modes, speeding up your photography workflow.

iOS 17 is more than just a software update; it's a treasure trove of hidden features that can significantly improve your iPhone experience. From enhanced security options to productivity hacks, these 30 hidden features are worth exploring. So go ahead, update your device and discover what iOS 17 has to offer.

Source & Image Credit: Brandon Butch

Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPhone, Top News

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