Technology

Google Latitude for iPhone Officially Arrives in the App Store

December 15, 2010 5:30 pm

Earlier this week, Google launched its location-sharing Latitude app for the iPhone, following through on a promise nearly two years old.

With Google Latitude, you can see where your friends are and continuously share where you are – even once you’ve closed the app (background). Since its launch, Latitude’s focus has always been on one goal: make it simple to stay in touch with friends and family by sharing where you are with each other.

Notable features are (by Google):

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 location, hide your location, or turn off background updating at any time.

Previously, Latitude was available to iPhone owners only as a Web-based application, which could not take advantage of iOS 4’s limited multitasking. Now, you can use Latitude on your iPhone just like the more than 9 million people actively using it from Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile smartphones.

Apple had previously thwarted Google’s efforts to release its Google Voice app in the App Store. But in September, the App Store policies underwent a revision that allowed for a more liberal selection of apps that could pass through Apple’s notoriously strict approval process.

Latitude briefly appeared in App Stores outside of the U.S. last week, but quickly vanished with no reason given. One possible explanation for the false start is that a wrong version was released: the version currently available is tagged 2.00 while the one that surfaced last week was reportedly labeled 1.00. You can pick up Google Latitude in Apple’s App Store here.