With Google's New App, Your Loved Ones Can Find You During Emergencies Trusted Contacts will give out your location, even when you can't access your phone.

By Rose Leadem

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Google

For most of us, a call to 911 is our first impulse when facing an emergency situation. Today, with the rise of social media and advances in technology, people can turn to a smartphone app or social media page for help during crises.

From Apple's Find My Friends to Facebook's Safety Check, tech giants are creating ways to help people during emergencies. And Google has taken things one step further with Trusted Contacts.

Trusted Contacts allows users to share their location with any of their designated "trusted contacts," while trusted contacts can request the user's location as well. A person can accept or decline someone's request, but if they don't respond, the app will automatically accept the request and share that individual's location.

Users can share their location at any given time, or indefinitely. The app is different than Find My Friends, letting users share their location for a certain period of time, while perhaps walking home alone or out and about at night. Unless a location is shared indefinitely, the app only shows trusted contacts general information about a user's whereabouts and if they are online. The app works offline too, so if a user's phone dies, a trusted contact can find out where their last online location was.

Google's product manager David Tattersall tells Mashable, "It basically means then that as long as you've got your phone in your pocket, someone can always find you in case of an emergency. You're always findable."

The app is only available for Android right now, but will be available on iPhones soon.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

These Are the 10 Highest-Paying Jobs With the Lowest Stress, According to a New Report

From astronomer to geographer, these jobs will reportedly offer the highest paychecks with the least amount of stress in 2025.

Side Hustle

This 24-Year-Old's Creative Side Hustle Surpassed $1 Million in Sales: 'Definitely Doing Something Right'

Content creator and actor Alyssa McKay saw the perfect opportunity to innovate.

Thought Leaders

12 Big Ideas From Business Books Published in 2024

After considering more than 1000 books for our annual Non-Obvious Book Awards, a few big themes emerged. Read our trend recap and how these trends can help your business in 2025.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.