By Chris Guld, GeeksOnTour.com
If you fly your own plane, it is important to file a Flight Plan. Some people feel the same way about RVing! They’re on the road a lot and traveling to destinations unknown. It’s comforting to know that someone knows where you’re going, and if you make it.
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RVers can Feel Safer
I’ve spoken to many RVers who like to have some tool that their adult children can use to know where they are. Some use Facebook, some send an email or call every day. And now I’m meeting people who tell me they love using Glympse on their smartphones. Whenever they get in the RV, ready to hit the road for the day, they “Send a Glympse” to their son or daughter. They don’t have to disturb them with a phone call, or trust that they will look at their Facebook feed. If they forget to send a Glympse, their family can send them a request for their location. It doesn’t mean they’re worried, they just want to know!
Share your Location with Anyone
The Glympse app is free, just download it to your iPhone or Android, and click the option that says, “Share Location.” The person you send to doesn’t need to have the App. When they receive and open your location, they’ll see where you are, the road and direction your traveling, and even your speed (if you allowed that in your settings.) You have the option of just sending your location, or entering your destination and a comment.
Glympse uses quite a bit of battery, so it “expires” no later than 4 hours after you start it. You can set it to expire after a shorter time. And, you can add time to it – but only after it has been running a while.
Comparison to iPhone “Find Friends”
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you may have used the Find Friends app. There are 2 main differences between Find Friends and Glympse: 1. Both sender and receiver must be using an iPhone or iPad and the Find Friends app. 2. There is no expiration. Anyone who accepts your friend request on the Find Friends app will have their location shown on your map at all times.
Another use for Glympse would be for a group of friends to share their location when they’re at a big RV Rally, or any other fairground-size gathering. It makes it a lot easier to get together at appointed times when you can send and receive ‘Glympses’ of your location. And, it’s nice to know that you’re not setting up a permanent link – just sharing your location for the day.
What about Data Usage?
A data connection is necessary to send your location. If you are traveling in an area with no service, your recipient will see your last known location and the time it was recorded. It doesn’t use much data. According to the company, expect about 1MB/hour.
- Name & Author: Glympse by Glympse, Inc.
- Website: Glympse.com
- Cost: $0
- Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
For more information on using the Location Services on your phone or tablet, watch Episode 81 of What Does This Button Do? by Geeks on Tour.
