Rethinking WhatsApp:
group live location, made easy.
WhatsApp has no group live location, just clunky one-at-a-time pings. This concept lets a whole group share one live map on the way to a meetup: privacy intact, no third-party apps, no "where are you?" spam.
"Where are these guys still?"
Usual weekend. The gang settles on a restaurant and a time after endless debate. Sarvesh and I show up starving, while two others are AWOL. Calls unanswered, texts ignored.
Cue the lightbulb: WhatsApp has no group live location sharing. What if everyone heading to the same spot could see one live map, privacy intact, so catch-ups actually work?
Before you ask: no, WhatsApp didn't crown me their UX savior (yet). This is a self-initiated concept grounded in my own research, observations and design thinking.
The challenge
How might we enable users to share live location in WhatsApp groups, without disrupting the existing live-location flow, so approved members can track each other in real time while heading to a common spot?
Goals that define the design
Accessible to tech-savvy and non-tech users alike. Nothing to learn.
Blends into WhatsApp's core experience without feeling intrusive.
Track the whole group in one place, with no reliance on external apps.
Kill the constant “where are you?” pings during hectic plans.
Understanding the struggles
I'd felt this friction myself, but one bad evening isn't data. So I talked to friends, family, colleagues, even strangers, to find out whether this was a personal gripe or a shared one.
Pain points
- Sharing individually with multiple people is repetitive and time-consuming.
- There's no way to see everyone's live location on a single map.
- Bouncing between navigation and messaging apps is clunky, distracting and full of friction.
- People want control: time-limited, temporary sharing beats always-on visibility.
- Users quietly drift to other apps for group tracking, eroding WhatsApp's stickiness.
Design live location for group chats that feels seamless and adaptable: a solution that inspires trust, enhances safety and deepens loyalty. It had to be more than adding a button.
How I made it happen
Nothing about WhatsApp's existing live location changes. The flow extends it. Four taps take a group from "where is everyone?" to one shared map, and arrival notifications close the loop without anyone touching their phone.
A new CTA sits right under the venue link shared in chat, at the moment of intent.
Confirm live location sharing to the destination, using WhatsApp's existing flow.
Pick exactly which group members can track you. Privacy is opt-in, per person.
Everyone heading over appears on a single live map with ETAs, until they arrive.
Wrapping it up
This project kicked off in August 2025 from a small moment of friction that turned into a meaningful design challenge. Along the way I:
- Spoke with parents, friends and colleagues to uncover real needs.
- Designed and tested multiple flows, choosing the final one through feedback.
- Set clear boundaries to keep the solution simple yet impactful.
More than building a feature, this project pushed me to be a designer who doesn't stop at requirements but keeps asking "what's missing?", one thoughtful feature at a time.