Location sharing has become a common feature on our smartphones these days. It allows us to easily share our real-time location with friends, family members, and even businesses. However, what happens when you decide to stop sharing your location? We will answer the question: “If I stop sharing my location with someone will they know?” You can also use the Detectico location finder.

The answer depends on which location-sharing service you were using. Here’s a look at how it works with some of the most popular apps:

Does It Notify When You Stop Sharing Location via Apple Services?

Apple’s Find My apps allow you to share your location with other iPhone users. If you stop sharing your location, the other person will not receive a notification. However, the next time they check your location in the Find My app, your location will show as “Not Shared.” So they won’t get an active alert, but they will see that you are no longer sharing when they check. It works differently from other services that allow you to trace mobile number exact location. 

• If you disable sharing on Find My Friends, your friends will simply see you disappear from their list of friends in the app.
• If you disable sharing on Find My iPhone for a family member, they will still see your device listed, but your location will appear as “Not Shared.”

The only notification they might get is if you had chosen to share your location indefinitely. In that case, Apple will send a notification saying the sharing period has expired. But there is no specific message about you actively stopping sharing.

Google Maps Location Sharing

Google Maps also allows real-time location sharing. If you stop sharing your location in Google Maps, when you stop sharing location does it notify saying “__ stopped sharing their location.”

• So, with Google Maps location sharing, the other person is actively notified when you stop sharing.
• One thing to note is that you will only get notified if the person stops sharing altogether. If they simply disable sharing with you specifically, you won’t get a notification.

Facebook Messenger Location

In Facebook Messenger, you can share your real-time location in a chat. So, when you stop sharing location does it notify? If you stop sharing in Messenger, there is no notification sent to the other person. They will simply see your location disappear from the chat. The next time they click on the location pin, it will say “Location unavailable.”

• So, with Messenger, it’s up to the other party to notice that your location is no longer visible in the chat. No active notification is pushed to them.

WhatsApp Location Sharing?

Sharing your live location in WhatsApp works similarly to Messenger. You can share in a chat, but there are no notifications sent when you stop sharing. The other user will simply see your live location disappear from the chat.

• Like Messenger, it’s up to them to notice when your shared location disappears in WhatsApp.

Snapchat Map Location

In Snapchat, you can share your location on the Map with specific friends. If I stop sharing my location will they know? No, your friends will not receive any notification. Your Bitmoji will simply disappear from their map.

• So Snapchat works like Apple Find My and Messenger – no active notifications if you stop sharing.

Uber Ride Sharing

The Uber app lets you share your trip’s real-time location and ETA with anyone. If you disable this location-sharing feature during a trip, the other party will receive a notification saying you stopped sharing your trip.

• With Uber, the notification provides an active alert that location sharing has ended.

Beyond apps, some car companies and insurance providers offer their own location-sharing services. These tend to notify the other party if you disable sharing, as it relates to safety features and policies. So, if you stop sharing your driving location with an insurer or carmaker, assume they will get a notice that you revoked access to the data. These types of services usually err on the side of active notifications for risk protection purposes.

Summary

To recap, whether or not if I stop sharing my location with someone will they know?

• Google Maps and Uber actively notify the other party.
• Apple Find My, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Snapchat do not send notifications.
• With Apple Find My, the other person will see on their end that sharing has stopped. With messenger apps, your location simply disappears.

The only way for someone to know for sure if you’ve stopped sharing on messenger apps is to check and see if your location is missing. So, if you want to stop sharing without an announcement, those apps will not rat you out. But with apps like Google Maps and Uber, the other person will be tipped off that location sharing has ended.