How to Share Live Location With a Group Without Installing an App
Asking everyone to install the same app and create an account is where group plans stall. Temporary, link-based location sharing gets a group onto one map in a minute and ends when the trip does.
Short answer
Use a temporary location-sharing link: one person creates a room, shares the link, and everyone who opens it in their phone browser appears on the same live map. Nobody installs an app or creates an account, and the room expires after the trip.
By RevSignal (Editorial team)
The usual problem
Someone suggests a location-sharing app. Then everyone has to install it, create an account, add each other and change location permissions. For a one-day trip with people you may not ride with again, that is a lot to ask, and someone always gives up.
Two kinds of location sharing
- Permanent sharing (family and friends apps, map apps' ongoing sharing) suits people who want to see each other every day.
- Temporary sharing suits a single trip or event: a convoy, a group ride, meeting up at a festival. It should start fast and end on its own.
Many phone map apps let you share your own location for a set time. That works one person at a time. A group room puts everybody on the same map.
How a temporary convoy works on RevSignal
- Start: tap Start Convoy. RevSignal creates a room with a 6-character code and copies the link.
- Share: send the link to the group chat. There is a one-tap WhatsApp button.
- Join: each person opens the link in their phone browser and types a nickname. No app store, no account.
- Travel: everyone sees each other's live position on one map. A convoy holds up to 50 people.
- Expire: the room is deleted 24 hours after its last activity.
The full details are on the convoy page.
Privacy points worth checking in any tool
- Who can see my position, and for how long?
- Does it keep running after the trip?
- Do I need to give my phone number or create a profile?
- Can I hide my home?
On RevSignal, convoy positions are visible only to that convoy. If you use the map with an account, you choose Public, Private (friends only) or Secret Ride, and the optional Home Safe Zone hides your position within 500 m of the home location you set. See the privacy questions in the FAQ.
Good uses for temporary group location
- Multi-car road trips and car club drives (planning guide)
- Motorcycle group rides (group ride guide)
- Cycling and e-bike group rides
- Walking groups where people move at different speeds
- Finding each other at a large event