Google’s new Find My feature for people is worse than its old Find My for people

What’s previous is new once more with Google, at all times. As a part of the March Function Drop for Android telephones, Google introduced that it was bringing individuals discovering to its current Discover My System app. Since I’d been utilizing Google Maps location sharing for years, I questioned if this is able to be a replica function, the identical factor, or completely different/higher. So I waited for individuals discovering to pop up within the Discover My System app on my telephone and began testing.

The constructive? It really works, and Google didn’t create a further resolution; it principally built-in this with the prevailing Maps location sharing for individuals however made it additionally out there within the Discover My System app so you’ve got one central place to trace your issues and your individuals. The damaging? Why did it take an entire yr so as to add what is basically only a fast copy/paste of an current function, and why is it lacking a number of further choices that Maps has? Let’s delve in.

Establishing and testing Discover My System for individuals

If you happen to’ve acquired the replace to v3.1.277 of the Discover My System app, you in all probability have the brand new Folks tab on the backside. It’s marked as a beta, which is stunning on condition that all the performance actually existed for years in Google Maps already. But when Google needs to faux that is nonetheless new and in testing, nicely, let’s all faux.

There are two sub-tabs right here, one to start out sharing your location with individuals and one other for checking the situation of those that’ve shared it with you. For the needs of this check, I began contemporary and eliminated all my shares in Google Maps and arrange location sharing with my husband from the Discover My System app.

After studying a number of explanations, the brand new interface for sharing my location popped up. Identical to in Maps, I might set how lengthy I wished to share my location for (one hour, at the moment solely, till I flip it off, or for a customized length) and choose somebody from my contacts to share with or seize a hyperlink to ship in some other app. Fairly easy stuff.

I arrange sharing from my telephone to my husband’s account and vice-versa, and began testing it out after I went grocery buying, when he went to work, and after we had been each spending a day trip in Evreux. We each carry Android telephones and the outcomes had been as I anticipated from years of Google Maps location sharing. Our areas had been often up to date, by no means greater than 5 minutes aside, and all through a number of complete days. It really works, hoorray!

Discover My System for individuals = Google Maps location sharing

After I arrange our location shares, I instantly seen that each (me to him and him to me) had been mirrored over to Google Maps. They’re all a part of the identical “Google Location Sharing” umbrella. As I discussed initially of this submit, I’m glad Google didn’t cook dinner up a separate sharing setup right here and as a substitute built-in all of it with Maps’ current function.

The screenshots above present that each apps show very comparable data, although Discover My System has a cleaner, extra trendy Materials You aesthetic. I can see my husband’s location, when it was final up to date, and whether or not or not he can see my location, too. Discover My System additionally reveals me how far he’s from me.

Each apps conceal extra particulars till I faucet on my husband’s identify. That reveals his telephone’s battery life, a button to get instructions to hitch him, and one to cease sharing my location with him. (That is additionally the place Maps reveals the gap between us.) Plus, there’s an overflow ⋮ menu to power a location refresh, conceal him from my map if I don’t wish to see his location on a regular basis, and block him from ever seeing my location once more.

As soon as once more, Discover My System’s interface is cleaner right here, although each are as purposeful as one another. I admire the pop of shade behind the Dwell icon in Discover My System, which helps me instantly spot if the situation is present or outdated. In comparison with the sunshine gray Simply now of Google Maps, it’s simpler to know.

… or not?

My challenge with Discover My System’s implementation, although, stems from the shortage of additional options which have been baked into Google Maps’ location sharing for ages.

One is the Notifications possibility. This permits me to create guidelines and get notified when my husband enters an space or leaves it, like when he reaches work or leaves work. We don’t use this for stalking functions however for security causes. We reside alone in another country, so we’re one another’s solely actual assist system in France. Me ensuring he’s OK and him ensuring I’m OK are important options in our on a regular basis lives.

I’m positive numerous households use this as nicely for youths, so not having it in Discover My System is a little bit of a letdown, particularly because it exists in Maps. All Google needed to do was port the interface components to indicate it right here. Apple’s Discover My already presents these notifications, too, so I’m baffled that they’re not there in Google’s app.

Google Maps additionally lets me create a house display screen shortcut to any particular person’s location monitoring — one thing Discover My System doesn’t provide but. There aren’t any widgets in anyway for Discover My System, not for gadgets, trackers, or individuals.

So, whereas individuals monitoring works typically in Google’s new Discover My System app, it’s a bit disappointing as a result of it lacks choices that exist inside the identical function in Google Maps. For now, I see no motive to open Discover My System to investigate cross-check somebody’s location; I’ll keep on with Google Maps till these further choices make their strategy to Discover My System as soon as it exits “beta” or till Google’s new app presents one thing distinctive that’s not out there in Maps.