It's the most wonderful time of the year, which means relatives are about to descend en masse to eat and drink you out of house and home.

But if you're worried about loved ones making a long journey on icy roads this Christmas, or just wondering when to put the spuds in, Google Maps has a brilliant feature which lets you track their progress in real time.

Your friends and family can easily share their location from their Google Maps navigation app so you can see exactly where they are⁠—and how long they're going to be.

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It will give you all the information you need to make sure your guests' Christmas lunch doesn't go cold before they arrive.

How to share your location on Android Google Maps

If you want to share your location with a contact on Google, all you need to do is crack open the Google Maps app and tap your profile picture.

You'll see an option for Location Sharing. Tap 'share location' and ensure Maps has been given access to your contacts by pressing 'allow'.

Then, you just have to choose how long you want to share your location and then select the person (or people) that you want to share it with.

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If you're using an iPhone / iOS device, you can follow the same directions above on your Google Maps app.

You can't share your live location from a desktop device, but you can view other people's live location. So, if your friend or relative does send you their location, you'll be able to view it at home from the comfort of your PC.

Live location tracking only works if the user in question gives their full consent, so don't worry about it being shared publicly.

If you are concerned about privacy on Google Maps however, there is a way to remove your home from Google Street View. Check out our full guide on how to do that here

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