If you need to keep track of a loved one or if someone wants you to keep track of them, location sharing is one of the most useful tools you can use. But in case you forgot who has already shared their location status with you, Google Maps seems to be sending reminders to its users about who they can already track on the app. It’s not such a useful feature to have but it can also be used for you to remind someone that you can see where they are but hopefully you say it in a not so creepy way.
Android Police says that a more useful feature would be a reminder to the user that they have shared their location with someone else as we often forget that we did so previously. But in any case, what we’re getting are notifications that show us who we can keep track of. The notification is probably more to show off the integration with Google Assistant than anything else. It says that you can ask Google Assistant where that person is.
So by simply saying, “Hey Google, where is ____?”, you’ll see a map that will show where that person is. Provided it’s just a snippet of the map but it can prove crucial at times. And if the person you mentioned is not yet sharing their location with you, you can send a request through Google Assistant as well. And providing that person really does want to share their location with you, they will probably approve the request.
Aside from this Google Assistant integration, there doesn’t seem to be any other purpose for this notification. But as pointed out, it can also serve as a reminder for you to always check who you’re sharing your location with. You can even remind that person that you can see where they are and ask if they want to change that situation. And of course, it’s a reminder to only share your location with people you trust.
There doesn’t seem to be anything that you need to update for the notification to appear on your Google app or Google Maps app. There also seems to be a “Turn off” option in the notification so you can do that as well.
