You never know what life will be throwing at you next. Most of us don’t like to think about things going wrong, but being prepared for an emergency is the smart thing to do.
Google’s latest endeavor into apps aims to keep you safe, while also letting those back home you are ok. The newcomer is called Trusted Contacts and allows friends and family to be kept up to date with your whereabouts.
The app invites you to add up to 50 “trusted contacts” to your inner circle. From there you can easily share info with them. Loved ones can also request your location. The app gives you a five minute window to respond, but if you don’t it will automatically share your most recent location to the contact who requested the info.
Trusted contacts can see if you are online or whether you have been moving around. In case you are currently offline or out of battery, the app will display your last location.
The app can be useful in more mundane situations too. Let’s say you are meeting a co-worker somewhere, in order to share a ride to the office. The app allows him/her to see where you are and watch you in real time as you arrive to the meeting point.
The app works vice-versa too. Tap it to open Google Maps on your phone and watch you contacts move around the map in a form of a dot.
The app might raise some concerns about privacy. Jealous partners could easily turn this app into a stalking tool, but on the other hand, Trusted Contacts might make a real difference in life threatening situations like an earthquake or car accidents when people are unable to use their phones.
On the bright side of things, no data is shared with people who are outside your Trusted Contacts circle. So if you don’t trust someone enough, don’t add them to the list.
Anyway, Trusted Contacts is currently available to download from the Google Play Store for Android users. The iOS app will be launched soon.
