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Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

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Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#21
I use it to keep track of my own location and have been since the iPhone app was released way back when and I'm sad to see this go. It's been great to be able to relive my travels and is particularly useful when trying to geotag photos.

Are there any location-tracking alternatives (I don't care about sharing it with friends) for iOS that offer KML/GPX export and are battery-friendly?

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#22

I use it to keep track of my own location and have been since the iPhone app was released way back when and I'm sad to see this go. It's been great to be able to relive my travels and is particularly useful when trying to geotag photos. Are there any location-tracking alternatives (I don't care about sharing it with friends) for iOS that offer KML/GPX export and are battery-friendly?

This was my main concern too, but it looks like you can still keep track of you location history. That functionality is getting folded into maps.

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#23
post #3

Unsurprising, the application doesn't fit in with the new styles, doesn't behave correctly with less-than-perfect location data, doesn't understand multiple location sources. I was quite a fan of finding how far I'd walked, but Google Now tells me that once a month now.

> I was quite a fan of finding how far I'd walked, but Google Now tells me that once a month now.

I compared the results of my phone's pedometer function (which seems to be quite accurate) to Google Now's walk reports, and the distances Google Now gave were wrong by an order of magnitude ... soooo, pretty much useless... >[I've no idea how Google Now tries to calculate this, but whatever method it uses seems to be absolutely awful...]

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#24

Another one of those people who uses it to track their spouse. Handy to find out where they are. Not in a creepy way, it just makes me feel more in tune and connected. Tried out the G+ version just now, pretty shit in comparison. The feature set it pretty non existent, I can't take advantage of Maps' directions and there doesn't seem to be a way to pop their location out onto the main Maps app. Poor form Google :( At…

"Tried out the G+ version just now, pretty shit in comparison"

I used latitude to do coordinate based geolocation. So on the map of the park, I see my spouse is around one mile from the intersection of the red hiking trail and the blue hiking trail, OK I'll head over that direction and we'll meet up for lunch.

In the G+ app, at least so far at a glance, I can only check into street addresses and the like. Or I can write reviews. Thanks, I already know I'm at the state park, and I don't want to check into the gas station across the street from the entrance.

Its very interesting that geolocation is focusing on "asphalt people" and abandoning outdoorsmen. Its depressing there are "geo" apps that have the worldview that human beings can only physically move via paved roads and airports.

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#25

I use it to keep track of my own location and have been since the iPhone app was released way back when and I'm sad to see this go. It's been great to be able to relive my travels and is particularly useful when trying to geotag photos. Are there any location-tracking alternatives (I don't care about sharing it with friends) for iOS that offer KML/GPX export and are battery-friendly?

My friends and I use Glympse. (Android and iOS)

edit: I've just noticed that Glympse has been recommended a few times in this thread already. I predict downloads for Glympse will sky-rocket over the coming days / weeks.

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#26
I always wanted this to actually function correctly. It worked great on my Android phone but syncing locations with my wife on her iPhone was problematic at best. It never worked. G+ between the two is also "iffy".

One side of me admires Google for all that they do for "free" but I sometimes wish they would put the phone users in the customer role and maybe these products would evolve.

Am I the only one that would like to see a shared platform with documents, messaging, and location?

I would GLADLY pay a monthly fee to sync up our family between Android,iPhone, and web. Things like, grocery lists, to-do lists, events, photos, reference documents, and the ability to see where we are so we can plan the day w/out having to ask "Where are you?" or me sending a text every day, "OMW home". They're all there now, with things like Google Docs, Evernote, Dropbox, etc, but with kids and a non-tech minded wife, the pieces don't fall into place easy.

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#27
I hope this will give rise to some replacement services; Latitude was actually pretty useful. I'm still wondering why they didn't implement "asking" for locations via push? That would save a lot of battery compared to updating in intervals and would be a lot more accurate.

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#28
post #25

I use it to keep track of my own location and have been since the iPhone app was released way back when and I'm sad to see this go. It's been great to be able to relive my travels and is particularly useful when trying to geotag photos. Are there any location-tracking alternatives (I don't care about sharing it with friends) for iOS that offer KML/GPX export and are battery-friendly?

My friends and I use Glympse. (Android and iOS) edit: I've just noticed that Glympse has been recommended a few times in this thread already. I predict downloads for Glympse will sky-rocket over the coming days / weeks.

How does Glympse make money?

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#29
post #27

I hope this will give rise to some replacement services; Latitude was actually pretty useful. I'm still wondering why they didn't implement "asking" for locations via push? That would save a lot of battery compared to updating in intervals and would be a lot more accurate.

Latitude is just being merged into G+. I can't see any features that are being killed.

Re: Google is retiring its Latitude location-sharing service on August 9th

#30

I always wanted this to actually function correctly. It worked great on my Android phone but syncing locations with my wife on her iPhone was problematic at best. It never worked. G+ between the two is also "iffy". One side of me admires Google for all that they do for "free" but I sometimes wish they would put the phone users in the customer role and maybe these products would evolve. Am I the only one that would li…

This is pretty much how Google+ is going to work. They're merging Latitude with it at the moment so you can share your location to the 'family' circle and see where people are. They've got google docs which has identity integration already etc.

They're not too far away really. G+ is their plan to do this.

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