Google Maps can now share your battery level with friends
Google Maps has been rolling out features left and right over the past few weeks, but recently eagle-eyed users spotted something new.
Now when you let a friend know where you are through the Google Maps app, another icon is included with your location information: battery level.
That's right, the app will let the person waiting for you know if your phone is dying or if you're all juiced up. Presumably, this is to make sure you're safe and doing OK.
The feature is an opt-in service on the app, so your information isn't shared unless you choose to give someone access.
A Redditor noticed this when he used the feature for what sounds like his regular creeping on his wife and her commute.
As the Verge pointed out, this new information makes it a lot harder to lie about your phone dying. Now your friends know that you were just running late and ignoring calls. No more room for excuses.
Location sharing was reintroduced to Google Maps last year after it killed off an earlier version of the feature known as Google Latitude.
Location sharing is also useful for finding lost phones, apparently.
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Hints that battery info would be shared was first noticed earlier this year. Now we know what it looks like.
Topics Google
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
