Overview

Use the Google Talk location status (beta) to share your Google Latitude location as your status message with all of your Google Talk or Gmail chat contacts, including anyone that can chat with you or view your status. Keep in mind that Gmail may automatically add chat contacts whom you email frequently.

Once you start using the location status, it will display the most recently updated city level location provided by Latitude for your Google Account. If you stop updating your Latitude location from your phone or computer by closing iGoogle, letting your phone run out of battery, turn your phone off, etc., your last updated or manually set location will still be visible in your status message, even if it's old. If your location is unknown or your city level location can't be determined, your location status will appear as an "Unknown location."

This is an experimental feature. Please let us know your feedback in our Help Forum (English only).

Enabling

To use your Google Latitude city level location as your status message, follow these steps:

1. Provide your location using Google Latitude from your mobile phone or iGoogle where available.
2. Go to http://www.google.com/latitude/apps/status
3. Sign in with the Google Account you use with Google Latitude. Note: Google Apps accounts may need additional steps.
4. Enable the location status and your Talk or Gmail chat status will start using your location status.

Once you've enabled the location status for the first time, you can select any past location statuses from the recently used ones in your status message drop-down menu to turn on the location status and have it automatically update with your Latitude location. You can also use a shortcut by entering loc:on as your status message to turn on the location status quickly. Your most recent Latitude location will appear as your status message the next time it checks in on your location. Note: May take up to 30 seconds.

Disabling

To stop sharing your location in your status message, use any of these options:

• Clear your status message or change it to another saved or custom message to temporarily stop sharing your location as your status message. To start using it again, you'll need to select it from your recently used status messages or use the "loc:on" shortcut..
• Disable the app entirely by going to http://www.google.com/latitude/apps/status

Privacy

If you enable the Google Talk location status, you'll share your Latitude location with all of your Google Talk or Gmail chat contacts even if you hide from some of them in Latitude. For example, if you hide your location from a specific friend in Latitude, that friend may still be able to see your location in your Google Talk or Gmail chat status message if you have your location status enabled.

While Latitude does not store your location history, Google Talk and Gmail chat keep your past status messages, that may include recently used location statuses. You can clear these at any time by selecting 'Clear custom messages' from the status message drop-down menu.

Learn more about privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can see my location status?
Your location status will be visible to anyone that can chat with you or see your status, including all of your Google Talk or Gmail chat contacts. Keep in mind that Gmail may automatically add chat contacts whom you email frequently. If someone is not yet a Talk or Gmail chat contact or has a pending invitation, that person will not be able to see your status message.

Does Talk or Gmail chat keep a history of my status messages?
While Latitude does not store your location history, Google Talk or Gmail chat may keep a local history of recently used status messages visible only to you for easy re-use. You can clear these at any time by selecting 'Clear custom messages' from the status message drop-down menu.

Can I manually edit my location status message from Talk or Gmail chat?
No. The location status message will automatically update to show your Google Latitude location, including the ending URL. The URL is needed to validate that the status is owned by the location status application and prevents the app from overwriting a custom status. You can manually set your location from Latitude if you want to control the location shown in your status message.

Does using the location status message in Talk or Gmail chat affect my Latitude status message?
No. If you're using the location status as your Google Talk or Gmail chat status message, it will not appear as your status message within Google Latitude.

What will my location status show if I manually set my location or hide my location from everyone in Google Latitude?
If you manually set your location in Latitude, your location status will show the city to which you've set your location.

If you hide your location from everyone in Latitude, 'Unknown location' will appear in location status message. Please keep in mind that all privacy settings you've chosen within Latitude, such as specific friend privacy settings, may not always apply to your location status since you're sharing your location with all Talk and Gmail chat contacts.

Can I use Google Apps accounts?
Google Apps accounts are not fully supported by these apps. If you are a Google Apps user, you may sign into http://www.google.com/latitude/apps using a Google Account created for your Google Apps email address, however, this can cause conflicts with your Google Apps account. A Google Account with a different email address or Gmail is recommended. Learn more about the differences between a Google Account and a Google Apps account.