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If you’re looking for new routers, mesh WiFi systems and smart home devices, such as lights and plugs, TP-Link is selling quite a few at a discount on Amazon. The TP-Link Archer AX73 WiFi 6 router is currently available for $140, which, while not quite its lowest price on the website, is still 30 percent off retail. The company says it was designed with 8K streaming in mind. If you’re a frequent and serious gamer, TP-Link’s Archer GX90 WiFi 6 Gaming router is also on sale for $200, which is the lowest we’ve seen it go for on the website. 

Buy TP-Link modems, routers and smart home devices at Amazon – up to 53 percent off

Archer GX90 is a tri-band router, which provides a 4.8 Gbps dedicated band for your gaming needs. It can detect and optimize game streams, and it comes with eight detachable antennas that give it the power to provide WiFi coverage for a four-bedroom house. Meanwhile, TP-Link’s Archer AXE300 Quad-Band WiFi 6E router has dropped back down to its all-time low of $480. It can deliver WiFi speeds of up to 15.6 Gbps and provide access to a new 6 GHz band. Like the Archer GX90, this router also comes with eight antennas to ensure WiFi coverage for big homes. But if you still need mesh WiFi systems to help boost coverage, there are a couple on sale right now, as well. 

You can get a three-pack bundle of the TP-Link Deco P9 Hybrid Mesh WiFi system, which can provide coverage for a 6,000 sq. ft. home, for $150. That’s 35 percent less than its typical price. Meanwhile, a two-pack bundle of the TP-Link Deco X20 is on sale for $104 or 42 percent lower than retail. The two WiFi 6-capable mesh devices can cover over an area up to 4,000 sq. ft. in size. 

If you’re looking for smart home devices, you can also find Kasa and Tapo by TP-Link-branded products in the list. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini is on sale for $13, down $7 from retail. It can add voice control support to any outlet, particularly for Alexa and Google Assistant. The device also allows you to switch off electronics from anywhere using the Kasa app and to monitor the consumption of anything that’s plugged into it. In addition, the TP-Link sale includes Kasa Smart Bulbs for $35 (22 percent off), as well as Kasa and Tapo light strips for up to 44 percent off. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

 

While other US states (and the rest of the world) inch towards goals of banning gasoline-powered cars, Wyoming is going in the opposite direction. The state’s legislature is considering a resolution that calls for a phase-out of new electric vehicle sales by 2035. Introduced on Friday, Senate Joint Resolution 4 has support from members of the state’s House of Representatives and Senate. The resolution says the state would need to build “massive amounts of new power generation” to “sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles.” Its goal is to phase out the sales of EVs entirely by 2035. Yes, EVs.

In the proposal, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Jim Anderson says Wyoming’s “proud and valued” oil and gas industry has created “countless” jobs and contributed revenue to the state. They add that a lack of charging infrastructure in Wyoming would make the widespread use of EVs “impracticable.” The legislation may partially be a political stunt, but Wyoming produced 85.43 million barrels of oil in 2021 – it’s a crucial part of the state’s economy. But, Wyoming’s Carbon County also has one of the largest wind farms in the US.

– Mat Smith

The Morning After isn’t just a newsletter – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

The biggest stories you might have missed

The tech industry still has a long way to go when it comes to accessibility

Microsoft will add ChatGPT to its cloud-based Azure OpenAI service ‘soon’

How to share your location using an iPhone

HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ successfully trades hordes of monsters for emotional depth

The Ayaneo Air Pro is a step forward for handheld PCs

Apple may unveil new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros later today

They could be the first Macs with WiFi 6E.

Multiple sources suggest Apple is prepping new MacBook Pro models for launch very soon. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman teased last fall that these systems would share the same design as the M1 variants released in late 2021. They would center around new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that would feature up to 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores in the Max. Don’t expect a touchscreen or other major revisions. At least, not yet. They might be the first Macs to include WiFi 6E, though.

Continue reading.

Your Stadia controller won’t just be a paperweight after the service shuts down

Google’s game-streaming service shutters tomorrow.

Google has confirmed it will release a tool to enable Bluetooth support on the Stadia controller. You’ll have to wait until next week to download it, but this should make the device useful for just about any title with gamepad support. Stadia as we know it is about to end, but Google’s Immersive Stream for Games should ensure the cloud functionality lives on for other companies offering game streams. The team behind Stadia has also released a Snake clone, Worm Game, as a final gift to users.

Continue reading.

High-powered lasers used to steer lightning strikes

The technology could protect rocket launchpads and power plants.

Lightning rods, your time is up. European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lightning toward a 26-foot rod. It’s not limited by its height and can cover much wider areas – in this case, 590 feet – while penetrating clouds and fog. The laser ionizes nitrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing electrons and creating a plasma that conducts electricity. As the laser fires at a very quick 1,000 pulses per second, it’s more likely to intercept lightning as it forms.

Continue reading.

 

Disney+ has released a new trailer for The Mandalorian during the NFL Wild Card Game on ESPN and ABC Network. It shows Pedro Pascal’s character Din Djarin and Grogu reunited and going on their next adventure. Din also reveals in the trailer that he’s going back to the planet Mandalore in an effort to redeem himself after removing his helmet and showing his face to other people by the end of season 2. As revealed in previous episodes, Din is a member of the religious sect Children of the Watch that views removing one’s helmet in the presence of others a serious transgression.

While Din is dealing with the consequences of his decision, the New Republic is struggling: “There’s something dangerous happening out there,” Captain Carson Teva warned. “And by the time it becomes big enough for you to act, it’ll be too late.” The trailer also shows Grogu exhibiting better control of the Force after leaving with Luke Skywalker in the previous season to train at his Jedi Temple. 

Disney released its first teaser trailer for the show at last year’s D23 Expo, showing us that everybody’s favorite Star Wars family will indeed get reunited for season 3. Now this newer trailer gives us a taste of what Din and Grogu will encounter. Not that we have long to wait for the next season to drop — season 3 will be available for streaming on Disney+ starting on March 1st.

 

Samsung is continuing its “more pixels is better” mantra with the launch of its latest 200-megapixel (MP) sensor. The ISOCELL HP2 is a relatively large (for a smartphone) Type 1/1.3 sensor (around 12mm diagonally) with a pixel pitch of 0.6 micrometers (μm) — in between the 200-megapixel HP1 and HP3 sensors. It offers more light gathering than past sensors along with new HDR features and will likely be used in Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone. 

The HP2 uses something Samsung calls Dual Vertical Transfer Gate (D-VTG) technology. This essentially doubles the number of electrons available from each photo diode, “boosting the pixel’s full-well capacity by more than 33 percent,” the company wrote. That means a pixel can hold more charge before saturating, reducing overexposure and improving color reproduction in bright light conditions. 

As before, it can transform into either a 1.2μm 50MP or 2.4μm 12.5MP sensor by binding either four or 16 neighboring pixels, allowing for better performance in low light. It can shoot up to 8K 30 fps video in 50MP mode (up from 24 fps on the Galaxy S22) to minimize cropping while still allowing for sharp video. It also uses something called Smart-ISO Pro to capture 12.5MP HDR images and 4K HDR at up to 60 fps. And as before, each pixel acts as a focus agent to allow for quick autofocus, even in low-light situations.

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra “only” had a 108MP sensor, with the 200MP HP1 chip used in other devices like the Motorola 30 Edge Ultra and Xiaomi 12T Pro. However, rumor has it that the S23 Ultra will have a 200MP sensor, and the HP2 fits the bill as it’s already in mass production, Samsung said. The Galaxy S23 is set to be revealed in just two weeks on February 1st, 2023. 

 

Microsoft is giving more people — or at least more customers — access to OpenAI’s technologies, including ChatGPT. The tech giant has announced that it’s now making the Azure OpenAI Service generally available after giving a limited number of enterprise customers access to it when it debuted in November 2021. As Bloomberg notes, customers who have access to the service can use various OpenAI tools for their own cloud applications, including the Dall-E AI art generator and the GPT-3.5 language system. Microsoft says it’s also adding access to ChatGPT, which it describes as a “fine-tuned version of GPT-3.5,” to the service “soon.”

The tech giant has been associated with OpenAI ever since it invested $1 billion in the Elon Musk-founded startup back in 2019. This announcement comes shortly after reports were published that Microsoft is in talks to invest an additional $10 billion in the company. “These [AI] models are going to change the way that people interact with computers,” Microsoft’s head of AI platforms Eric Boyd previously told The Financial Times in an interview.

While OpenAI has been around for a while, it was recently thrust into the spotlight following ChatGPT’s debut. The program has the ability to return long, coherent answers that aren’t immediately recognizable as machine-generated responses. It was good enough to alarm educators, who expressed concerns that it could be used for cheating. Earlier this month, New York City public schools banned ChatGPT from school devices and WiFi networks.

The Information also previously reported that Microsoft was planning to integrate the OpenAI software powering ChatGPT into Bing. While it’s still unclear what the software could do for the search engine, sources said it could enable Bing to return results in a format that’s friendlier and easier to digest. ChatGPT is available for free at the moment, but OpenAI intends to make money off it in the future and has already opened a waitlist for those interested in testing a paid version of the bot.

 

Apple might not wait long to unveil its first products of 2023. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and Front Page Tech (aka Jon Prosser) all claim Apple will have a product announcement tomorrow. While most aren’t clear on details, Gurman hints these may be the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro M2 models he discussed last fall.

At the time, Gurman said these systems would share the same design as the M1 variants released in late 2021. They would center around new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips that would feature up to 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores in the Max. There wouldn’t be a touchscreen or other major revisions, in other words. You’d mainly buy one to get the best performance possible from a Mac laptop.

However, they might be the first Macs to include WiFi 6E. Twitter user Wade Penner spotted an unreleased MacBook Pro in a Canadian wireless database with support for the newer WiFi standard’s 6GHz band. So long as you have a supporting router, you should see higher maximum speeds, lower latency and less congestion on a busy local network. Apple’s iPad Pro M2 is already compatible with WiFi 6E.

There haven’t been mentions of other products debuting in the same time frame, so you might not want to count on a Mac mini M2 or other revisions. If the rumors are accurate, though, this could be good news for anyone who’s been holding off on a MacBook Pro to ensure they get the absolute latest hardware.

 

Lightning rods have been used to safely guide strikes into the ground since Benjamin Franklin’s day, but their short range (roughly the same radius as the height) and fixed-in-place design makes them ineffective for protecting large areas. The technology may finally be here to replace them in some situations. European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lighting toward a 26-foot rod. It’s not limited by its physical height, and can cover much wider areas — in this case, 590 feet — while penetrating clouds and fog.

The design ionizes nitrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing electrons and creating a plasma that conducts electricity. As the laser fires at a very quick 1,000 pulses per second, it’s considerably more likely to intercept lightning as it forms. In the test, conducted between June and September 2021, lightning followed the beam for nearly 197 feet before hitting the rod.

Researchers have been exploring laser lightning guides for years. However, experiments have typically been limited to much shorter distances and relatively slow pulses that were more likely to miss lighting as it formed. Dr. Aurélien Houard, who helped lead the project, told the Wall Street Journal that this laser shot 100 times more pulses per second than in previous attempts.

It could be a long while before lasers are used beyond experiments. The University of Glasgow’s Matteo Clerici, who didn’t work on the project, noted to The Journal that the laser in the experiment costs about $2.17 billion dollars. The discoverers also plan to significantly extend the range, to the point where a 33-foot rod would have an effective coverage of 1,640 feet.

If the scientists succeed, the breakthrough could make lightning protection viable across large areas. This would be particularly useful for safeguarding rocket launchpads, where lightning strikes can force mission delays if they’re too close to the flight path. They could also be helpful for protecting airports, power plants, forests and other sprawling locations where a strike could prove catastrophic.

 

Now is a good moment to expand the storage for your PC — or console, or phone. Amazon is running a sale on Samsung SSDs and memory cards, with discounts as steep as 63 percent off. High-end models are particularly good values. The 2TB version of the 980 Pro SSD is down to just $180 (53 percent off), making it a solid bargain for a PC drive or console drive. You can get a 256GB Evo Select microSD card for $20 (52 percent off) to upgrade your mobile device, while the 256GB Pro Endurance microSD card is down to $30 (45 percent off) if you need long-lasting memory for your dash or security cameras.

The 980 Pro is one of our top picks for a PlayStation 5 SSD upgrade, and for good reasons. It’s a fast PCIe Gen4 NVMe drive with read speeds up to 7,000MB/s, but it also has a reputation for reliability. You can slip this into your PS5 or PC knowing that it should be useful for the practical lifespan of your system. At $180, the 2TB variant is a better deal than its (similarly discounted) 1TB and 500GB counterparts. You only have to pay a relatively small premium to get ample headroom for more games, apps and media files.

The microSD cards, meanwhile, are easy picks if you need more space while you’re on the move. The Evo Select is well-suited to expandable Android phones and tablets, as well as all models of the Nintendo Switch. Spring for the Pro Endurance, meanwhile, and you’ll get a card that can record video around the clock for up to 16 years. You might replace your camera before you need new memory.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

 

As many in the accessibility community will tell you, inclusive design isn’t an endeavor that’s “one and done.” It’s a continuous, ongoing effort to ensure that as new products and services are made, people with different needs or disabilities aren’t left out. Over the last three years, Engadget has produced a report, in addition to our regular coverage, that looks back on the developments in the tech industry that impact the accessibility community, focusing on the largest companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta. Of course, there are plenty of other big companies to consider, like Uber, Airbnb, Netflix and more. But the six we’ve selected have an outsized impact and influence on the industry..

Last year, we saw significant developments that could pave the way for more accessible designs in future, such as the opening of Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab. In October, the University of Illinois (UIUC) partnered with Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft on a Speech Accessibility Project to improve voice recognition for those with atypical speech patterns that AI algorithms rarely consider. But there were also major setbacks, such as Elon Musk dismantling the accessibility team at Twitter, amid everything else that happened in that hellhole.

All around the industry, we saw pieces of news that showed greater interest overall in accessible products and design. According to LinkedIn’s vice president of engineering, Erran Berger, there has been a 33 percent increase in the last year in “people sharing insights, ideas and problem solving together related to accessibility”. Berger said this corresponded with a “significant uptick in the total annual number of U.S. job postings with the word ’accessibility’ in the job title.” LinkedIn data shows that these postings have “spiked 171 [percent] since September 2019.”

This increased interest permeated all of tech. Comcast debuted its Xfinity large button voice remote last year, for example, while popular chat app Discord updated its Windows app to support high contrast mode, as well as enable alt-text for image in iOS. There were also plenty of startups and smaller device makers that are creating products like wearables and hearing aids to help those with disabilities better interact with the world.

As we continue to call for a more inclusive design process that follows the accessibility community’s mantra of “nothing about us without us,” it’s worth taking the time to see which companies have fared well and which have failed to consider people with different needs.

Amazon

Like most companies on this list, Amazon updated a number of its products across various categories to offer better accessibility. For example, it added gesture support to Echo Shows, allowing users to dismiss timers by waving or holding up an open palm, so those who don’t want to or can’t use their voice to silence alarms can do so without touching the device. It also added support for audio streaming for hearing aids to its Fire TV platform, and brought the Tap To Speech (or Tap To Alexa) feature from its Fire tablets to the Echo Show displays.

Amazon also teamed up with a selection of organizations to bring its products to communities that could benefit from them. It donates products like Echos, Ring home security devices and more to Home For Our Troops and the Gary Sinise Foundation, which help get these to veterans. The company also works with the National Association of the Blind in India by giving local school districts Echo devices so they can be used as teaching aids for kids with vision disabilities.

Many new Alexa features also have accessibility benefits. The Person and Package announcements, for example, let you know through the Alexa mobile app, Echo Show, Fire TV or Fire Tablet when your compatible Ring camera or video doorbell detects a… you guessed it, person or package. This way, you can choose to be alerted by visual or audio cues. On the latest Echo Dot, an onboard accelerometer allows you to tap the top of the speaker to pause and resume media playback, snooze alarms or end timers and calls. This offers those with speech impairments an alternative means of interacting with the device.

It’s also worth noting that Amazon’s remote caregiving service Alexa Together also received updates that allow users to add more family members to care for aging loved ones, and enabled primary caregivers to remotely set up Routines for their wards.

In October, the company released a new campaign that included videos featuring an Amazon employee and people with disabilities using accessibility features across Alexa, Fire TV and more. It also redesigned its accessibility home page to make its tools easier to discover. And, as we’ve mentioned in previous editions of this report, the company’s venture capital arm — the Alexa Fund — invests in startups, some of which work on products to improve accessibility.

Apple

As an established leader in making accessible products, Apple continued to do well lastyear despite not doing a lot. On Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 19th, it announced a new door detection feature for iPhones that would help those who are blind or have low vision by identifying entryways and reading any signs or words on them.

At the same time, the company unveiled Apple Watch Mirroring, which lets people with motor and physical disabilities control their smartwatch using the iPhone’s assistive features. These include Voice Control, Switch Control, head tracking, sound actions and external Made For iPhone inputs.

Apple also brought Live Captions to iPhone, iPad and Mac, which would transcribe all content playing through the device, as well as the speech of people in the real world. Those using Live Captions for calls on Mac can also type a response and have that spoken aloud to their callers. It also added 20 new languages to its VoiceOver screen reader, as well as voices and locales.

Other features include Buddy Controller, which lets users ask another person to co-control a game character with them and Siri Pause Time to adjust how long the assistant waits before responding. The company also updated Sound Recognition so it will now identify custom noises like a unique doorbell or alarm and added new themes, font and line customizations to the Apple Books app for improved readability. A slew of other small updates were also announced on GAAD, which would be too much to exhaustively detail here, but a complete list can be found on the company’s website.

On Dec. 3rd, the International Day of the Person with Disabilities, Apple released a short film that showcases its assistive features. The video was well-received and not only helped highlight the ways people with disabilities can use their i-devices to live their lives, but also introduced some lesser known features to a wider audience.

Google

Google is basically the internet, so its contribution to accessibility is of particular importance. Because its product portfolio is so diverse, spanning smartphones, speakers, displays, browsers, apps, email, search and more, the company’s reach is immense. That also means that Google typically has a lot more updates than any other name on this list. Across Android, Pixel, Chrome, Search and more, the company rolled out improvements to its screen readers, captioning and alt-text support, among others. A lot of its work in 2022 was around expanding existing features to cover more platforms and languages. For example, in December, the company announced its Project Relate non-standard speech-recognition pilot would expand to include Hindi.

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day in May, Google also said it was building out-of-the-box support for braille displays into Android’s Talkback screen reader, eliminating the need to install a separate app. It also announced new education-related updates like support for alt-text in gmail and tweaks to the Docs experience for those using Braille readers. Chrome OS also got a little easier to use, with improved voice control and dictation, while Meet now allows users to pin multiple people on their calls, allowing those who use ASL to be able to see their sign language interpreters and other speakers at the same time. The company even looked at making fonts that were easier to read.

Notably, Google also introduced Guided Frames, a tool to help blind or low vision users take selfies, when it launched the Pixel 7. Instead of being relegated to a separate day or buried in a press release, it was nice to see such a feature share the stage with other highlights during a flagship phone reveal.

Google continues to engage the disability community, and appears to be reaching out via its Accessibility account on Twitter. As of August, it was looking to work with students with dyslexia for a research study on the Chrome browser. In December, it opened its first Accessibility Discovery Center in the UK. With this pattern of outreach and engagement, Google appears to have a meaningful approach to accessibility that adheres to the principle of “nothing about us without us.”

Microsoft

In 2022, Microsoft continued to display a thoughtful, holistic approach to accessibility. Not only did it launch its Inclusive Tech Lab this year to welcome and involve the disability community in design and ideation, but it also released a new Adaptive Mouse kit that offers ways for people with motor limitations to more easily use their computers and phones.

But where Microsoft tends to excel, at least compared to its peers on this list, is in considering a broader spectrum of disabilities and needs. This April, the company launched a Neurodiversity Career Connector (NDCC) in collaboration with the nonprofit Disability:IN. The NDCC is intended as a jobs portal “dedicated to neurodivergent career seekers,” Microsoft said. It will feature listings by US employers looking for applicants who are neurodivergent, including those who have autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and Tourette Syndrome. The program will connect neurodivergent people with “companies already committed to neurodiversity hiring programs”, and companies backing the NDCC include Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Google, HP, Dell Technologies, SAP, CAI, EY and Spectrum Designs Foundation.

Speaking of careers, LinkedIn also announced updates around helping people with disabilities “voluntarily self-identify on disability and other demographic features.” For example, it added “Dyslexic Thinking” as a recognized skill that people can add to their profiles. “This example showcases that disability can also be viewed as a strength and meaningful differentiator,” Berger wrote in a blog post announcing the updates.

Microsoft also rolled out automatically generated captions for videos on LinkedIn (English, for now) and enabled alt-text for images on the platform’s ads. Last year, it also updated its Seeing AI app, which lets the people who are visually impaired use their cameras to identify currency, read text and see faces. In October, in collaboration with healthcare company Haleon, Microsoft added the ability to scan the barcodes of products like Centrum, Emergen-C and Sensodyne. The app will then read out instruction, ingredients and other critical information.

Meta

Since the company’s rebranding, there are two main ways to think about Meta — Facebook (and apps like Instagram and WhatsApp) and VR. In March, Instagram rolled out auto-generated captions for videos on the iOS and Android apps, and they’re enabled by default. In May, the company brought alt-text for stickers on Facebook and Messenger, while hosting an accessibility summit where it demonstrated a host of its existing assistive features.

On the VR side, Meta brought better disability representation to avatars, and otherwise had a very bad first year. The VR workout app it owns, Supernatural, did launch a new One Controller Mode in October that’s designed to help those who can only use a single device.

Meta also released a “guide on designing inclusive policies in programs” in February, with accessibility being the top consideration on a list of recommendations to consider. While these aren’t rules that the company will enforce when approving content that would exist on its various platforms, it’s a helpful resource for creators and developers who may not know where to start.

This year, the company was also named the best place to work for disability inclusion by the Disability Equality Index, marking the fifth year in a row it’s received the honor. Overall, it seems like Meta was distracted by the issues that plagued its Metaverse ambitions and launched few actual assistive tools.

Twitter

Amid the chaos that happened to Twitter late last year, Elon Musk gutting the small in-house accessibility team might have dealt an outsized blow to the community. Formed in 2020 in response to very embarrassing blunders that left out the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, Twitter’s accessibility team worked to address the platform’s shortcomings. In 2022 alone, Twitter introduced new icons for better readability, added reminders for users to fill in image descriptions and updated its emoji library to better represent people with disabilities.

It was also nice to see clear and consistent communication from the Twitter A11y account, with monthly updates on its feature roadmap and timeline. As of November, its final #TwitterA11yStatus post indicated that it was working on a setting to disable keyboard shortcuts on its web platform and toggles for closed captions. Unfortunately, that was the last check-in from the team since, and the future of accessibility at and on Twitter is currently uncertain.

Because of its reach, Twitter helped boost the voices of members of the disability community, helping spread awareness and education to the mainstream audience. With the elimination of A11y, improvements to make the platform more inclusive and accessible have come to a halt, and there may be no one around to address issues that break the service for people with disabilities. The outlook for Twitter users with disabilities (and the rest of the platform) is depressingly bleak.

 

Smartphones may mean never having to ask for directions, but it can still be tricky to relay exactly where you are at any given moment to friends and family trying to find you. iPhone users can share their current location using Messages, Apple Maps, Google Maps and Apple’s Find My app. While Apple makes it easiest to share locations with other iPhone users, there are a number of ways to send your position to someone who uses an Android device as well. We covered four different methods in the steps below, along with a way to share from your Mac and how to stop sharing your location when you need to.

How to share your location using Messages

This might be the easiest method, as you’re probably already texting the person with which you want to share your location. To text someone exactly where you are, follow these steps:

1. Open a conversation in Messages and tap the recipient’s name/image at the top of the screen.

2. Tap Send My Current Location.

3. A map thumbnail of your location will immediately appear in your conversation.

If your recipient has an iPhone and they tap the map, an info screen will open with an option to get directions via Apple Maps. If your recipient does not have an iPhone, they will receive an Apple Maps link that will open in their browser.

If you want to share your location for a longer period of time:

1. Tap on your recipient’s name/image in your Messages conversation.

2. Tap on Share My Location.

3. Choose Share for One Hour, Share Until End of Day or Share Indefinitely (which remains active until you turn sharing off).

4. They will receive a notification that you are sharing your location with them and you will be added to their Find My app.

Just keep in mind that this only works with other iPhone users.

How to quickly share your home address in Messages

If you have your address saved under your own contact, you can send your home address via Messages by typing the words “my address is” Messages will auto-suggest your home address to fill in. This also sends your address as a link your recipient can tap on to open their default map app.

How to share your location using the Find My app

Find My lets you locate your Apple devices as well as other iPhone users. The app is a combination of two former Apple offerings, Find My iPhone and Find My Friends. As you may expect, this also only works with other iPhone users.

Tap on the Find My app from your home screen.

Tap on People on the bottom left.

Tap the + symbol at the top of the list of contacts.

Select Share My Location from the pop-up box.

Type the name of the person you want to share your location with. Note that only your contacts with iPhones or email addresses will appear.

6. Tap the name of the contact and tap send. Select whether you want to share for an hour, the rest of the day or indefinitely until you turn location sharing off.

7. You’ll receive a pop up box that says you’ve started sharing your location and your recipient will receive a notification that you’ve shared your location with them and your information will appear in their Find My app.

A note about satellite location sharing

Currently, all iPhone 14 models have the ability to both message with emergency services and share your location when you are outside of cellular coverage areas. That means you can send your location via the Find My app even when you are off the grid. You can read more about the limitations and other factors in Apple’s press release.

How to Share your location using Family Sharing

Family Sharing is an Apple service that allows you to share things like subscriptions, media purchases and photo albums with up to five people in your family. This is also another way to let your family know where you are.

Go to Settings then tap your Apple ID, iCloud+, Media & Purchases button at the top.

Tap on Family Sharing.

Choose the friends or family members you want to use Family Sharing with from the list (note that Family sharing only works with other iPhones).

Tap the blue arrow to send. Your recipients will receive a text invitation to join Family Sharing.

5. Once you are sharing with someone, you can enable Location Sharing at the bottom of the Family Sharing menu (Settings > Apple ID > Family Sharing).

6. Tap on Location Sharing at the bottom of the screen. 

7. You’ll see an information panel about Family Sharing and your location. Tap Share Location. 

8. The next time you tap Location Sharing from the Family Sharing menu, you’ll be directed to a screen that allows you to toggle location sharing on and off.

9. People who are connected with you through Family Sharing (provided you have location sharing toggled on) will be able to see you in the Find My app and in your profile panel in Messages.

How to share your location using Google Maps

You can also share your whereabouts directly from the apps that many people use for navigation. To send a location via Google Maps, you’ll need to be logged in with your Google account within the Maps app. Once you’ve logged in, follow these steps to start location sharing:

Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone.

Tap on your account image in the upper right corner.

Tap Location sharing.

You’ll see a location sharing information panel. Tap the Share Location button.

5. From here, you can choose to share with your contacts from within Google by selecting a duration and the icon of the person you want to share with. Your recipient will receive a Google Maps notification (provided they have Google Maps installed and notifications turned on for that app). They will also receive an email with a link to view your location on Google Maps.

6. Alternatively, you can tap More Options below your contacts to share your location with a link.

7. You’ll see a pop-up window asking if you want to share with a link. Tap Share. 

8. Select from the suggested contacts (the small icon at the lower right of each contact’s image indicates which method will be used to send the link). Or select an app, such as Messages or Gmail to open those apps and enter your contact’s information.

9. Your contact will receive a link via the method you chose. When they tap the link it will take them to the Google Maps app (if they have it installed) or to Google Maps within the browser.

How to share your location using Apple Maps

If you prefer using Apple Maps for navigation, here’s how to use the app to send your location details:

Open Apple Maps

Tap the arrowhead icon to center the map on your current location.

Drag up on the panel at the lower half of the screen.

Scroll down to Share My Location and tap.

Choose the person you want to share your location with from the suggestions menu or choose an app, such as Messages or Mail. You can add a comment if you want, and press the blue send arrow.

6. If you choose to send via Messages, your recipient will receive a map thumbnail of your location. If they tap that, it will open their Apple Maps app. If they don’t have Apple Maps, your location will open using Apple Maps in their browser.

How to share your location using a Mac

Click Launchpad from the Dock.

Open the Find My app.

Click on Share My Location in the lower left corner.

Type in the name of the person you want to share with. Similarly to the Find My app on an iPhone, the Find My app on a Mac can only share your location with other Apple devices.

5. Your recipient will receive a notification that you’ve shared your location with them and your information will appear in their Find My app.

Troubleshooting location sharing

If you’re having trouble sharing your location, make sure Location Services is on for the app you want to use.

Go to Settings.

Tap on Privacy & Security.

Tap on Location Services.

Make sure Location Services is toggled on.

Ensure the app you want to use is set to While Using.

How to stop sharing your location

If you’ve shared your location for a duration of time through Find My, Family Sharing or Google Maps, you can stop sharing at any point. If you’ve shared using a one time link to your location, via Messages, Apple Maps or the link option in Google Maps, you can’t undo that action, just as you can’t unsend a text or an email.

Via Find My: Open the Find My app and tap the name of the person you want to stop sharing with. Drag up on their info panel and tap Stop Sharing My Location.

Via Family Sharing: Open Family Sharing by opening Settings and tapping your Apple ID panel at the top of the Settings menu. Tap Family Sharing then Location Sharing and toggle off Automatically Share Location.

Via Google Maps: Open the Google Maps app and tap on your profile image at the top right. Tap Location sharing. You’ll see a list of people you’ve shared with. Tap the person you want to stop sharing with, then tap the Stop button at the bottom of the screen.