22 months after announcement, Google Latitude app comes to Apple's iPhone

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
First announced in February 2009, the Google Latitude application for iPhone -- previously rejected from the App Store -- has been approved and is now available.



The free application (iTunes link) allows users to see where their friends are at the moment, and share their current location as well. Google Latitude uses the multitasking capabilities of iOS 4 and the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS to share a current location in the background via GPS.



Features of Latitude, listed by Google, are:

See your friends on a map -- find out who's nearby and meet up.

Share your location continuously with whomever you choose -- help friends and family stay in touch with you, even when you can't take out your phone.

Control your privacy -- share only city-level information, hide your location, or turn off background updating at any time.

The approval of Google Latitude marks the second high-profile reversal for Apple in reviewing the search giant's iPhone software. In November, the official Google Voice application for iPhone was approved after more than a year of rejection from Apple.







Google Latitude was first announced in February 2009, when the search giant revealed its plans to release the software for the iPhone via Apple's App Store.



Google, in its dispute with Apple over the Google Voice application, revealed last year to the Federal Communications Commission that the Google Latitude software was initially rejected because Apple believed the software could replace the native Maps application included with the iPhone. Apple also expressed concern that the software would "create user confusion" with the preloaded Maps software.



The rejection, plus the lack of multitasking on the iPhone at the time, led Google to release a Web application that allowed users to access the Latitude service through the Mobile Safari browser.



Apple softened its stance on Google's iPhone applications after it published the App Store Review Guidelines in September. The candid document summarizes Apple's policies on iOS software, and noted that applications that "look similar to apps bundled on the iPhone" would be rejected.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 43
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    I got it, it's boring, deleted, one star.
  • Reply 2 of 43
    What about Google Maps 5.0??? It has latitude integrated and many more features which the iPhone version has been strapped by. Is this Apple restricting Google or does Google not want the full version on the iOS?



    Does anyone know? Is this coming?
  • Reply 3 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


    I got it, it's boring, deleted, one star.



    I have not yet used it myself but will believe your review is true.



    Dont know why even after all this time, Google still throws out sucky iPhone apps.



    Google Voice does not even support iPod Touch after 1 year.
  • Reply 4 of 43
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lav1daloca View Post


    What about Google Maps 5.0??? It has latitude integrated and many more features which the iPhone version has been strapped by. Is this Apple restricting Google or does Google not want the full version on the iOS?



    Does anyone know? Is this coming?



    Yes, 22 months from now. Haven't you been paying attention?
  • Reply 5 of 43
    enohpienohpi Posts: 103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple believed the software could replace the native Maps application included with the iPhone. Apple also expressed concern that the software would "create user confusion" with the preloaded Maps software.



    .





    Apple is correct. The average iPhone user will become confused. I wish that the government would stay out of this stuff.
  • Reply 6 of 43
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lav1daloca View Post


    What about Google Maps 5.0??? It has latitude integrated and many more features which the iPhone version has been strapped by. Is this Apple restricting Google or does Google not want the full version on the iOS?



    Does anyone know? Is this coming?



    Apple is working on their own map service. They bought PlaceBase few years ago. I would think it should be coming up soon, now that the new server farm is complete in NC. Apple didn't like when Google start advertising in the Maps App.
  • Reply 7 of 43
    Can someone please explain to me the appeal of services like this and Foursquare? All I see them as is someone willingly letting people stalk them and even worse, letting random people know when they are NOT at home. I just don't get it.
  • Reply 8 of 43
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    More Google crap to boycott. Whose with me? Jan?



    I gave google too much latitude myself and they screwed me, so sorry but, never again.
  • Reply 9 of 43
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    Can someone please explain to me the appeal of services like this and Foursquare? All I see them as is someone willingly letting people stalk them and even worse, letting random people know when they are NOT at home. I just don't get it.



    There's nothing to get. Your analysis is spot on, 100% accurate. These things are stupid, stupid, stupid, terrible ideas.



    It makes me cringe to think of how dumb people make potential criminals lives so much easier than they've ever been before. Most people publish their activities and locations up to the minute, and they also don't even own guns Anymore!



    How dumb can you possibly be? I'm pretty certain facebook foursquare lattitude and the like are the barometer.
  • Reply 10 of 43
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pmz View Post


    More Google crap to boycott. Whose with me? Jan?



    I gave google too much latitude myself and they screwed me, so sorry but, never again.



    I quit trusting them back when they loudly proclaimed to the world that they were going to violate copyright laws by copying every book in existence without permission. And they were proud of it.



    I really can't believe how many people fall for their crap. I rare;y use Google for anything. Bing or Yahoo is good enough for most of my searches (I think I've used Google's search engine twice in the past few months - and none of Google's other services).
  • Reply 11 of 43
    Glympse is more useful to me than Latitude. I used it on a road trip so my wife could track my little girls and I up and down I-95. The feature set matches up with what I was looking for much better than Latitude.



    With Glympse: The sharing automatically expires. You can group contacts you want to share with. You can see when people checked in on you...
  • Reply 12 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pmz View Post


    More Google crap to boycott. Whose with me? Jan?



    I gave google too much latitude myself and they screwed me, so sorry but, never again.



    I'm right there with you. Google offerings are just a lot of white noise to my ears.
  • Reply 13 of 43
    t2aft2af Posts: 44member
    apple developed the google maps app for the iphone with the help of google - thats why it has nice fluid animations etc. and has been said earlier apple has now bought their own mapping company .. so they are at an opposite vector from google on all things mappy
  • Reply 14 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    Can someone please explain to me the appeal of services like this and Foursquare? All I see them as is someone willingly letting people stalk them and even worse, letting random people know when they are NOT at home. I just don't get it.



    If you leave the paranoia at home for a second it's pretty obvious. I live in a city and have a bunch of friends, the app lets me see where they are at any given time so I know whether to drop by the coffee shop or not or who's at the local hangout.



    For those brought up in a world where this was impossible, it seems a bit scary, but for most folks, it just seems like a good way to find out where your friends are. The only danger is if you have "friends" that are not really your friends, and that's pretty much the user's fault really.
  • Reply 15 of 43
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    "Control your privacy"



    Ha! Believe that at your own risk. I don't trust Google, Facebook, or any other company that offers "free" services of this sort to really protect my privacy.



    Not that I don't use their services... I use gmail all the time. But I have no expectation for privacy with gmail, which is why it's not my only e-mail account.
  • Reply 16 of 43
    Let the new digital age of "STALKING" begin!
  • Reply 17 of 43
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    If you leave the paranoia at home for a second it's pretty obvious. I live in a city and have a bunch of friends, the app lets me see where they are at any given time so I know whether to drop by the coffee shop or not or who's at the local hangout.



    For those brought up in a world where this was impossible, it seems a bit scary, but for most folks, it just seems like a good way to find out where your friends are. The only danger is if you have "friends" that are not really your friends, and that's pretty much the user's fault really.



    Agreed. I would have loved to have this technology back when I was in university. I'm sure lots of you have at least one or two friends that is habitually late. It'd be great to know that these people are almost about to arrive, haven't left their house yet, etc.
  • Reply 18 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


    I got it, it's boring, deleted, one star.



    That is a great point, actually. The problem with Latitude is that it requires one to have friends for it to be useful.
  • Reply 19 of 43
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    Can someone please explain to me the appeal of services like this and Foursquare? All I see them as is someone willingly letting people stalk them and even worse, letting random people know when they are NOT at home. I just don't get it.



    Latitude does not let random people know when you are not at home. Latitude lets select people that you presumably trust know approximately where you are. You can choose to publish a precise location or a city-level location.



    I think it makes perfect sense to let my wife know exactly where I am. I obviously won't allow acquaintances whom I do not trust any access to my location.
  • Reply 20 of 43
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by igxqrrl View Post


    Latitude does not let random people know when you are not at home. Latitude lets select people that you presumably trust know approximately where you are. You can choose to publish a precise location or a city-level location.



    I think it makes perfect sense to let my wife know exactly where I am. I obviously won't allow acquaintances whom I do not trust any access to my location.



    No, but you let Google access your location. Seems to me that you should be thinking about limiting private information to people you trust BEFORE you turn over all your private information to Google so that they can sell it to the highest bidder.
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