How to Share Your Location on WhatsApp: Live, Fixed & Group

WhatsApp has two ways to share location, and people mix them up: the fixed one (“I’m here”) and the live one (“come along with me for a while”). Here are both, on iPhone and Android, and what WhatsApp doesn’t do.

The Mi Estela teamOctober 14, 2026 · 4 min read

In this article

Sending your current location (fixed)
Sharing live location
Permissions you need
What WhatsApp doesn’t do (and what other apps are for)

WhatsApp is, by far, the most-used way to share location in Spain: everyone already has it and you don’t have to explain it to anyone. It has two different features, and it’s worth knowing which one you’re using.

Sending your current location (fixed)

It’s a single pin on the map, sent once: “I’m here.” It doesn’t move with you.

In the chat, tap the paperclip (Android) or the + (iPhone).
Tap Location.
Choose Send your current location or one of the nearby places it suggests (the bar, the train station).

It’s useful for meeting up: “I’m at this door.” If you move, the pin stays where it was.

Sharing live location

This one does move with you, for a time you choose, and then it turns itself off:

Paperclip or + › Location › Share live location.
Choose 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours. You can add a comment (“on my way”).
Send it. A map appears in the chat and updates; when the time runs out, it stops. To stop sooner, tap Stop sharing.

It’s end-to-end encrypted, like messages: WhatsApp says only the chat can see it. It works in groups (if several people share, they all appear on the same map) and between iPhone and Android without any problem. To see who you currently have live sharing with: Settings › Privacy › Live Location.

Permissions you need

For live location, WhatsApp needs location permission set to “Always” (iPhone) or “Allow all the time” (Android). Otherwise the position stops updating as soon as you close the app. On Android 11 and later, that “always” is granted on the system Settings screen, not in the app’s pop-up; we explain it here.

What WhatsApp doesn’t do (and what other apps are for)

It doesn’t stay on. Eight hours is the maximum. For “let me know every time you get home,” you have to share again each time.
It has no spots or arrival alerts. Nobody gets notified when your daughter gets to school: you have to look at the map.
It’s not a place to see the whole family. Each share lives in a separate chat.
No SOS, and no view of everyone’s battery level.

For “I’m on my way, I’ll send you where I am,” WhatsApp is perfect and free. For a family that wants arrival alerts without having to check, SOS and one map with everyone, here is the full comparison with a family location app. And one detail we like about WhatsApp and have borrowed: in Mi Estela you can also share live for a while (30 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours) even if you’re on “area only” or in ghost mode, and then it goes back to your usual setting on its own.

Sources

Written by the Mi Estela team. We talk about other apps with sources and dates; if you spot anything outdated, drop us a line at hola@miestela.app and we'll fix it. Brands and names mentioned belong to their respective owners.

Frequently asked questions

How do I share my live location on WhatsApp?

In the chat: paperclip (Android) or + (iPhone) › Location › Share live location › 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours › send. To stop sooner, tap “Stop sharing.”

Is WhatsApp live location safe?

It’s end-to-end encrypted, like messages: according to WhatsApp, only the people in the chat can see it. It turns itself off when the time runs out.

Can I share location on WhatsApp for more than 8 hours?

No: 8 hours is the maximum. For something ongoing, with arrival alerts, you need a family location app.

Why isn’t my WhatsApp live location moving?

Because location permission isn’t set to “Always” / “Allow all the time,” or because the phone has put WhatsApp to sleep in the background (the manufacturer’s battery saving).