Show HN: Owlorbit – Share your location/msg with friends and family in real-time
owlorbit.com> Use the “close your eyes” feature and become unsearchable on the map.
"If you can't see them, they can't see you!"
So, this appears to be iOS only, and makes this claim:
> Stop fumbling through different apps > Have conversations that will lead you all to the same place.
Literally every iOS device on the planet has Messages.app installed by default, which supports sharing location with the people you're talking to. So what does your app do differently?
The claim about "different apps" (aka fragmentation of the IM space) is quite ironic, as you've just added another app to the pool.
This is valid criticism. The reason why I built this application was to have a constant stream of updates on where the user is and to make it easy to meet-up with my friends (it gives users the ability to create meet-up points).
I should clarify the fragmentation is with existing real-time location applications (excluding iMessages which I will get to in one second). They usually have an expiration date w/ the amount of time that you are able to share your location with, there's no way to have separate "channels" with who you want to share your location with, and there are some apps that don't have messaging built in with it.
Meeting-up with a user then involves opening up a group messaging app, and describing what they are seeing, and toggling back and forth between the map. So the fragmentation is in-reference to these real-time location focused applications where it's either lacking, group messaging, meeting-up, or not incorporating turn-by-turn directions.
In regards to iMessages. It's about context. I'm usually opening iMessages to have conversations, and while it supports the ability to toggle your location to the respective users. Personally, there's just something mentally off-putting trying to remember to turn it off in iMessages. So I guess in that regard, you're absolutely right it will stay fragmented between iMessages and Owlorbit which I should re-word.
Thanks for your feedback! By the way, I am working on the Android Port.
> Literally every iOS device on the planet has Messages.app installed by default, which supports sharing location with the people you're talking to. So what does your app do differently?
Something I can see it that it takes away the friction. If you see a constant stream of all of them the inevitable ping-pong messages of "where are you? share your loc" will be gone. And the moments of someone going quiet for some minute(s) will not be as annoying.
That being said I don't see myself using this app - seems like a hassle and as you said it just adds another app to keep track of.
Maybe its a generational thing. I'm in my early 30s.
The people I'm likely to see regularly and want to share my location with, I just have allowed to see me via Messages/Find my Friends. If I'm going to meet someone else, I just do the old fashioned thing and ask where they want to meet, and then go there.
I'm in my late 20s. It might be a personal thing, I have just been in the situation where I am meeting someone and the "1 minute delays" are enough to cause friction and I (personally) don't like that.
And I have no experience with Find my friends, maybe that's the same case.
I use Glympse on Android and this works well with my Iphone carrying friends. What advantages do you have over glympse? I am not affiliated with Glympse, I am just a big fan of their product. https://glympse.com/
btw the API is SSL-only =], the landing page is just a static page hosted on s3