How to share your live location during a run

Why runners share their location at all

The Road Runners Club of America calls your cell phone the best safety tool you own. Its runner safety tips suggest texting a friend or family member so they know you are out, finding apps that can safely track your run, and varying your routine so it is not predictable when you run alone.

Live location tools do the first two at once: someone you trust can open a link or an app and see where you are right now. They differ in the details that matter on a run, though. Some stop the moment you finish, some last as long as you set them to, one needs a Strava recording, and one only speaks up if you fail to arrive. The sections below stick to what each company's own help pages say.

Strava Beacon

Beacon works while you are recording with the Strava mobile app. On the Record screen, slide the menu up, choose Share Live Location, and turn Beacon on. You can pick up to three safety contacts, then tap Send Beacon Text to send them a link before you start. Strava says the recipient does not need the Strava app or an account; a web browser is enough.

Depending on cell service, the location updates about every 15 seconds. Your contacts see your current location, where you have been, where you started recording, and, if they expand the view, the start time, time active, and your remaining battery. Beacon needs cellular service, so in a dead zone the position stops updating until you have signal again, and it does not work in airplane mode.

Two limits are worth knowing. Once you finish recording, people with the link can no longer see your current location. And Strava says your contact gets no alert if you stop; the only messages they receive are the Beacon text and any others you choose to send.

Find My on iPhone

If you run with an iPhone, you do not need a running app at all. Apple's iPhone User Guide gives the steps: open Find My, tap People, choose Share My Location, enter a friend's name, then choose how long to share. A Custom option lets you set a duration or an end time, which suits a long run better than leaving it on.

Stopping is just as quick. Tap the person under People, then Stop Sharing My Location. You can also pause sharing with one person with Hide Location, or hide your location from everyone by turning off Share My Location under Me.

Check In in Messages

Check In is different: instead of being watched the whole time, you tell a friend when to worry. Apple says it requires iOS 17 or later on both phones. In Messages, open a conversation, choose Check In from the More menu, and tap Edit. When I Arrive takes a destination and a way of traveling (driving, transit, or walking). After a timer takes a period of time, which fits a run of a known length.

If your iPhone does not arrive or you do not end the Check In, and you do not respond to its prompts, your friend gets the details you chose. Under Settings, Apps, Messages, Check In Data, Limited shares your current location plus network signal and battery for your iPhone and Apple Watch. Full adds the route you traveled and the last time your iPhone was opened past the lock screen or your Apple Watch was taken off. Apple notes that if you lose service or your phone powers off, your friend may get a delayed or early notification.

Google location sharing

On Google's side, location sharing is an account setting that is off by default and switches on when you first share with someone through a Google app or service such as Maps or Find Hub. You need a Google account, a mobile device, an active internet connection, and location turned on.

Google lists what the other person sees: your name, profile picture, real-time location, and battery status. Shared information may also include where you have recently been, and Maps may show how you are traveling, such as walking or driving. To stop, go to myaccount.google.com, open People & sharing, then Location Sharing, tap Manage Location Sharing, and choose the person.

Common mistakes

Leaving indefinite sharing on. A setting that made sense for one evening run keeps working on every trip afterwards. Use a time limit, or check your sharing list now and then.

Expecting updates without signal. Strava says Beacon pauses without cellular service, and Apple warns that a Check In can notify late or early if your phone loses service. On a trail with no coverage, a planned route and an expected finish time told to someone in advance still matter.

Treating a live link like a public post. A Beacon link shows anyone who has it where you started recording. Send it to people, not to a group chat or a social feed.

Confusing a running app's public map with safety tracking. Some apps show live runners to an audience rather than to a contact. Cheerstep, for example, puts your runner on a world map for strangers far away to cheer, hides you from anyone inside your safe radius, and does not alert anyone if you stop, so it does not replace any of the tools above.

Frequently asked questions