Life360 Is a Missed Opportunity for Google Maps
Every Saturday, a few of us gather in a parking lot in Sunnyvale, to set of on a 40-50 miles bicycle ride. As soon as the road goes uphill in the hills around Los Altos and Woodside, the group splinters. Soon, the question arises, “Where is everybody?”.
Our group is training for the AIDS/Lifecyce ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. On those longer distances, the problem is only amplified. “How far are they behind or ahead of us?”
I’ve been looking for simple solutions to this problem. The iOS “Find my Friends” feature fits the bill. Yet, it requires that all riders have an iPhone. My kids voluntarily share their location using Google Maps. Unfortunately, using Google Maps, it is a big hassle to share your location with many people: you have to share it with each person individually. If you group counts 30 people, that means 30 invitations. A few years ago, we used Glympse to share our location as headed to the Livermore wineries. Glympse fits the bill.
At the moment, we are experimenting with Life360. I heard about Life360 from concerned parents who want to track their kids. We never went that route, and our kids voluntarily share (and control) their location sharing.
Using Life360 for the cycling group is simple: we share a code among those want to join our circle. You can then control when you want to share your location. That’s it. So far, battery consumption is limited.
Group sharing is a missed opportunity for Google Maps. The commercial value is not to be underestimated. I see folks checking into and endorse locations. Imagine pairing it with reviews.