Glympse for iOS gets a major update for easier location sharing

Glympse has been a favorite app for me since it came out a couple of years ago. Whenever I'm meeting someone, Glympse sends out my exact location and time of arrival to as many people as I want. Friends or associates can see my progress in the Glympse app if they have it, or on any browser running on a laptop, desktop or mobile device.

Today the company is delivering a major update to the free app that adds more services, while simplifying screens to make it easier than ever to let people know where you are.

Glympse CEO and co-founder Bryan Trussel told me, "We've reached a pivotal point in the evolution of location sharing -- moving beyond check-ins and static one-time, closed-network sharing events to location as a mainstream way of communicating where someone is at any given time. People are actively seeking ways to share where they are more regularly and with broader groups of people -- but with control."

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Glympse 2.0 has many enhancements like Glympse Groups, which lets you track locations of people you know, like at a business meeting, a sporting event or anywhere your friends or associates gather. People in the group can control how long their location is available, and sharing can be extended as often as needed.

This latest version also includes calendar integration, so the app can automatically schedule location updates to trigger at a specific time. The app supports the Apple Calendar, Outlook and Google Calendar.

Also new is the ability to request a Glympse from others. With a couple of taps, you can send a message via text or email. When a person accepts, it brings up Glympse on their iOS or Google device and starts sending their location. If they don't have Glympse, the invitation contains a link to download the app.

In terms of privacy, the user is in control, sharing as much or as little as they want. On several out-of-town trips I've made, Glympse easily shared my location and ETA. It certainly beats calling or texting constantly when my arrival time varies due to unplanned stops or traffic.

Glympse does its work in the background, so you can listen to music, be on the phone or use any navigation app at the same time.

Glympse would be a perfect app for car manufacturers to embed in on-board navigation systems. In fact, Glympse already has a partnership with Mercedes-Benz, and I'll bet more deals like it are on the way.

I only have a handful of apps I use all the time, and Glympse is one of them. Glympse 2.0 is universal. This latest version requires iOS 4.3 or later and the screens are optimized for the iPhone 5.