Facebook Messenger is a popular messaging app with over 2 billion monthly active users. Many people communicate on the platform, but it can do more than just that. The app has a location feature that allows users to share their location with others. Interestingly, it has the option to share a standalone location or a live location, depending on the reason.Â
If you have been looking for a way to share your live location with Facebook Messenger, I will show you all the step-by-step guides. However, before we proceed, it is necessary to tell you how you can use the location-sharing feature to determine when you are chatting with a scammer on the platform.
How to spot a scammer using Facebook’s live location feature
While a scammer can fake their location, it is not easy to fake your Facebook Messenger location, even with a VPN. Most times, when you share a location while using a location spoofing app, it will pull your original location and ignore the fake one. Hence, when talking with someone you have yet to meet and you guys have not seen each other, asking them to share their live location on Facebook Messenger can help you spot if they are fake.Â
Most people will try to change the topic, especially when not where they claim to be. Others will just hesitate to see if you will forget about it. When this happens, be mindful of the person, as someone who is genuine and likes your company will not think twice about sharing their location. However, it might be for security reasons, but that is where calling the person on a video call can surface.
How to share live location with Facebook Messenger
Before sharing your location with someone on Messenger, ensure you know who the person is. If your information ends up with the wrong person, the damage can be severe, and hence, we recommend sharing a static location.
- Head to your Facebook Messenger and open the conversation with the person you are about to share your location with
- Tap on the + icon at the left side of the bottom toolbar (you might see four dots if you are using an iPhone)
- Select a location from the list
- You have two options- send a static or live location
- When you send someone a static location, they will not see your movement on the map. They can only track you to the place you share with them.
- Live location means you’re about to keep updating, and they can always use the link to see where you are on the map. You can cancel it anytime, though.
- For Live location, tap on start sharing location. A message will be sent to the recipient, and they can click it to track you.
- To share a standalone location, tap the pin icon and move it around to where you want the recipient to see. Tap ‘send location.’
Conclusion
Sharing your location with Facebook Messenger is easy, but you should be careful when using it. Ensure only trusted people know your whereabouts, as information like that in the wrong hands can cause much damage. Nevertheless, you can use the static location option although live location only lasts for an hour, it is still enough time for someone to plan evil.
