{
  "id": 15789065,
  "title": "Telegram tops Google Maps on group road trips by combining live location tracking with chat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/telegram-tops-google-maps-on-group-road-trips-by-combining-live",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-20T19:00:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Android Police",
    "slug": "android-police",
    "url": "https://www.androidpolice.com/telegram-replaces-google-maps-on-road-trips-by-combining-live-location-tracking-with-chat/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google Maps is renowned for its navigation capabilities, preinstalled on most Android phones and continually enhanced with advanced features. However, when traveling with multiple people, it falls short in providing a seamless experience. The app lacks a feature that allows all passengers to track each other's live locations in real-time while on the same route. This gap is why many, including the author, turn to apps like Telegram for group road trip coordination.\n\nNavigating with Google Maps is straightforward, requiring users to open the app, enter their destination, and start navigation. But when multiple cars are involved, coordination becomes challenging as the app doesn't allow tracking the location of others on the same route. Instead, users often rely on third-party apps for live location sharing, which can be cumbersome, especially for the driver.\n\nA co-driving mode in Google Maps could significantly improve group road trip navigation. This feature would enable all drivers or passengers on the same route to see each other's locations within the navigation interface. For example, if two friends were driving to the same destination in separate vehicles, the co-driving mode would display the other car's location on their device in real-time, making coordination easier.\n\nSuch a feature would also be beneficial in emergencies. If one vehicle in a convoy breaks down, the driver could immediately see the stopped vehicle's location and respond accordingly. The feature could be designed simply, with users starting a co-driving group in Google Maps, inviting others, and seeing each other's cars as live icons on the map. The route would stay synchronized, with features like suggesting stops, alerting the group of wrong turns or delays, and adjusting the route if needed.\n\nDespite the potential of this feature, Google Maps doesn't offer anything similar, leading many to resort to third-party apps like Telegram for coordination. While Google Maps is an advanced navigation app, the absence of a co-driving mode makes using it for group road trips feel incomplete. The technology for live location sharing exists within Google Maps, but it doesn't integrate with active navigation, making a co-driving mode an add-on. Google's decision to implement this feature might be due to privacy concerns, but with the right settings and user controls, these could be addressed. Additionally, Google previously had a feature called Waze Carpool, discontinued in 2022, which connected drivers and riders heading to similar destinations, proving Google had the technology for shared active navigation.",
  "summary": "Until Maps adds this one feature, Telegram is our co-pilot",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}