How to use smartphones to know where your buddies are on a route?

sololite
sololite Posts: 15
edited July 2016 in Road general
Hi there,

my daughter and I are doing ride london next week but with different start times. We are wanting to give ability for family and friends to know where we are on the route as well as each other. In previous years we found the official app a bit flaky when looking at where friends are.

we looked at Google+ but Apple IOS doesn't share its location when using it. She has Android, I have iPhone.

does anyone have any advice on which App might be best and works across both smartphones please?

regards,

Chris & Lauren

Comments

  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    I guess if all else fails you could use the smartphones as phones and call them.

    Know a couple of riders with a compatible Livetrack device that could be borrowed for the ride? Livetrack sounds like a way forward.
  • tomisitt
    tomisitt Posts: 257
    Find My Friends app works on iOS and Android. Works well for me.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Bobbinogs wrote:
    I guess if all else fails you could use the smartphones as phones and call them.

    Wait, what? You can use them as telephones..??
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Imposter wrote:
    Bobbinogs wrote:
    I guess if all else fails you could use the smartphones as phones and call them.

    Wait, what? You can use them as telephones..??

    Ha, yeah, I recently had to remind my daughters about this useful feature of iPhones :-)
  • drlodge
    drlodge Posts: 4,826
    I have an Android app called "Life 360", think its available for iPhone too. Does the job.
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  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    There is a very good app called Path Share. Works well on both Android and iOS

    https://pathsha.re/
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    I've used Glympse a few times to share location as any device with a browser can view it.

    No idea how it impacts battery life though, never used it for anything that long.
  • super_davo
    super_davo Posts: 1,147
    I use Glympse frequently and it is very light on the battery. Generally, its the screen that hammers the battery, so if you just have your phone in your pocket transmitting your location, it doesn't use much. Around 10% over a 4 hour ride for me, though admittedly the Moto X play I have has a very large battery. The only problem is that it can only do 4 hours max at a time, then you'll need to send a second one.
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    If using an IOS device, download Cyclemeter for free. That has a Livetrack feature allowing anyone you send the link to to see exactly where you are throughout the whole ride.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 11,593
    I have used the RoadID app - has extra bits like you can set it to message a chosen number with a preset message if you are stationary beyond a certain time, and you also have to put in the likely ride length.

    Seems to have been mostly reliable, all down to gps signal, and of course battery life.
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  • sololite
    sololite Posts: 15
    Thanks for all the tips guys. we are trying out Life360, which seems to work ok and not chew the battery (so far!)

    regards,

    Chris
  • mcstumpy
    mcstumpy Posts: 298
    iPete wrote:
    I've used Glympse a few times to share location as any device with a browser can view it.

    No idea how it impacts battery life though, never used it for anything that long.

    +1 for glympse

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