One feature of Google Maps that is pretty useful for those that want their loved ones to know where they are is location sharing. You can either choose to set a time limit or choose the setting “until I turn it off” which is pretty self-explanatory. However, it seems that a recent software update may have unintentionally introduced a bug that has made that specific setting wonky for certain users. Google says it may be because of unverified accounts but complaints have been coming in from users with verified accounts as well.
Phone Arena shares some of the complaints about Google Maps through its support page, specifically regarding the location-sharing feature. The problem is that some users are not able to select the “until I turn it off” option for some of their contacts. This means that they would have to choose a time limit to be able to share their location to new contacts. Some were previously able to use it and then suddenly is not working anymore.
There was a reply from one of the Google Platinum Product Experts to the thread saying that the user’s problem may be because the account isn’t verified. If Google doesn’t know your age, it blocks you from using features like enabling location history as well as browsing your Google Timeline. Google has made features like this available only for those who have verified their accounts and are able to meet the minimum age requirements.
However, other users said that this is untrue as their accounts are already verified or there’s no option to verify the account so it must already be verified. The problem seems to be affecting random users as some say their family members are still seeing the option to “until I turn it off”. There’s also another user who shared that their location-sharing is set to that option but when he gets near his own home, it disconnects even though they didn’t change anything.
Google hasn’t made a statement yet that they’re working on a fix for this but hopefully they are. Some users believe this came from a recent software update so hopefully the next one will be able to remedy this as the feature is useful for those who want their loved ones to track their location indefinitely.
