When you should share your location via phone

While meeting friends, update them with your location

Last week after my motorcycle malfunctioned and crashed on the freeway, I wanted only two simple things from technology: To call 911 and to tell loved ones where I could be found.

Coincidentally, I had been testing location-sharing tools from Apple, Google, Facebook and Snapchat. So before calling the police, I texted my partner, who was already tracking my location with several apps, letting her know I was hurt. When she opened Google Maps, she could see precisely where I was on the 101 South freeway.

But when she refreshed the map to follow the ambulance, she ran into the app’s shortcomings: