Karen Castillo is at Riverside ParkSaturday at 11:20 · Friends
Morning run done.
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The sender taps Start sharing
In the chat: Options, then Start sharing live location. Nothing is shared before this tap.
Facebook & Messenger · location
Track Facebook location: what Messenger actually shares
There is no lookup that turns a Facebook profile into a point on a map. A location shows up on Facebook or Messenger in four different forms — each put there by the account’s owner, or belonging to your own account. Pick the one you saw.
WHAT KIND OF LOCATION IS IT?
Live location — real position, one hour, one chat
The person started it themselves. It follows their phone, only the people in that chat can see it, and it turns off automatically after one hour.
- Exactness: the phone’s own location.
- Ends: after an hour, or when they tap Stop sharing location.
Pinned location — a place, not a person
The sender dragged a pin or searched for an address and sent it. It can be anywhere: a café for tonight, an office, another country.
- Exactness: exactly the place chosen — which says nothing about where the sender is.
- Ends: it is a message; it does not update.
Login location — an approximate city for your own session
This is the “Where you’re logged in” list of your own account. The city comes from an IP address and is often the mobile network’s, not yours.
- Exactness: approximate, sometimes plainly wrong.
- Who sees it: only someone signed in to the account.
Check-in — a place the author added to a post
Facebook lets people add a place to what they post. It is chosen by hand and shows where the author says the post belongs.
- Exactness: the named place; the time is the post’s time.
- Who sees it: the post’s audience.
9:41
Martin RandolphActive now
2:13 PM
Where are you?
Start sharing live location
Shared for 60 minutes. You can stop at any time.
9:41
Martin RandolphActive now
2:14 PM
Running late — here’s where I am
Live locationShared by Martin · 59 min leftView location
Got it, see you soon
Aa
9:41
You’re sharing your live location
Visible to people in this chat · 41 min left
Stop sharing location
9:41
Martin RandolphActive now
2:05 PM
Let’s meet here at 7
Pinned locationRiverside Café · 12 Example Street
See you there
Aa
9:41
Account login activity
iPhone · this deviceMessenger · Active nowAustin, TX, United States
This deviceWindows PCChrome · 2 months agoAustin, TX, United States
Android phoneFacebook app · Yesterday at 23:14Location approximate
Not meSelect devices to log out
9:41
Screens reconstructed for explanation · fictional data · not affiliated with Meta
Side by side
Four kinds of Facebook location, compared
They differ in where the coordinate comes from — and that decides how much it can tell you.
| Kind | Where it comes from | How exact | How long | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live location | The sender’s phone, after they tap Start sharing | Device location | Up to one hour | People in that chat |
| Pinned location | A pin dragged on the map or an address searched by the sender | Exact place, unrelated to the sender’s position | Stays as a message | People in that chat |
| Login location | The IP address of a session of your own account | Approximate; mobile networks often show another city | While the session exists | The account owner |
| Check-in | A place the author attaches to a post | The named place, chosen by hand | As long as the post | The post’s audience |
None of the four is searchable by profile link, name or phone number. Three are published by the person themselves; the fourth is about your own account.
Live location
How live location starts, runs and stops
The steps below are Meta’s own, as published for the Android app; the same article has a tab for iPhone. The feature is not available on computers.
The chat shows a moving point
Only people in that chat see it. Meta says it uses limited information, like location and IP address, to display it.
It ends after one hour — or sooner
Open the message, tap View location, then Stop sharing location.
✓ The chat keeps the message, not a live point
The common mix-up
A pin in a chat is not where the person is
Both arrive as a map card. Switch between them to see what differs.
Follows the phone
The card says “live”, shows time remaining and has a stop control for the sender. When the hour ends, so does the point.
Shows a chosen place
The sender pinned a nearby spot or searched for an address and sent it. Messenger allows this only when location sharing is enabled on their device — but the pin itself can be anywhere.
Login location
A strange city in “Where you’re logged in”
This list is about your account. Each entry has a date, time, device type and a location. Facebook gives three ordinary reasons for a place you do not recognise:
The location is inaccurateIt is approximate, and mobile sign-ins are often routed through an IP address elsewhere.
You forgot to log offA friend’s phone, a work computer, an old tablet.
Someone else has accessLog that session out first, then change the password.
Your side
Stop sharing your own location
Four checks in your own apps and phone settings. Ticks are saved in this browser only.
My location on Messenger and Facebook
0 / 4Saved on this device.
Questions people ask
Facebook and Messenger location: short answers
Can I track someone’s location through Facebook or Messenger?
Only when they send it to you: a live location they start in your chat, a pinned place, or a check-in on a post you can see. There is no search by profile, name or number.
Can I see someone’s location on Messenger without them knowing?
No. Live location starts with a tap on the sender’s phone and is shown in the chat as their own message.
How does Facebook know my location?
Meta’s Help Centre says it uses limited information, such as your location and IP address, to display a location you share in Messenger. The login list in your security settings shows only an approximate location for each session.
Why does my login location show a different city?
Facebook explains that mobile sign-ins are often routed through an IP address that does not reflect where you are, and that the location shown can be only approximate.
Does a pinned location show where the sender is?
No. A pin is any place the sender picked on the map or searched for.
How long does Messenger live location last?
One hour at most. It turns off automatically, and the sender can stop it earlier.
Go deeper
Related pages
Messenger trackerEvery signal Messenger shows, and to whom.
Location sharing and consentRecipient, place and time window.
An unrecognized loginReading your own session list.
Active Status explained“Active now” is not a location.
Messenger on a shared computerSessions you forgot to close.
Recover a Messenger accountWhen someone else is signed in.