Google Latitude
Before constant location sharing became ordinary, Google placed friends on a map and let them check in; four years later it scattered the features into other products.
Quick facts
- Existence state
- Officially Gone
- Peak stage
- general availability
- Research confidence
- high
- Last verified
What it was
A formally released real-time location-sharing and check-in service integrated with Google Maps.
People shared approximate or precise positions with selected contacts across phones and the web.
Existence timeline
Google adds friend location sharing to Maps.
Smartphone and web interfaces broaden access.
Latitude begins recording visits to places.
Users can review and export parts of their movement record.
Google directs social location features toward Google+.
Apps, check-ins and friend maps disappear.
Why it ended
Google retired Latitude on 9 August 2013 and removed its apps, check-ins and location-sharing controls.
Last confirmed trace
Archived map pages, screenshots, help records and related location-history exports preserve the service.
What it left behind
Latitude anticipated routine friend-location tools later normalised by messaging, family-safety and mapping applications.
How we classified it
The archive unit reached normal public release or operation and is no longer obtainable in its original public form.
Verified normal public availability maps to 100 under Arrival Score V1.
Sources & verification
Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Sources are linked so readers can inspect the evidence directly.