Is Glympse Safe?

If you use or plan to use Glympse, you need to know: Is Glympse safe? 

Below, we explain whether Glympse is: 

• Safe to use. 
• Good for privacy. 

We also look at some steps you can take to improve both your safety and privacy when using this online service. 

What Is Glympse?

Glympse is a location-tracking solution for businesses and consumers. 

Glympse’s consumer app lets you share your real-time GPS location with family, friends, and colleagues via a web-based map or within the app. 

The app includes features such as Private Groups for sharing within trusted circles, Public Tags for broader sharing (similar to hashtags), and premium options for businesses that want a branded experience. 

There’s also Santa Tracker, a feature within the Glympse app that lets communities follow Santa’s real-time journey during holiday events like parades. Local organizations, such as fire departments, use this feature with customized Premium Tags (including their logos, event details, and festive messages) to provide accurate, live updates of Santa’s location. 

Businesses and developers can use Glympse to integrate advanced location-based services into their own apps and systems. 

Its SDKs and APIs power a wide range of enterprise solutions across industries including transportation, logistics, automotive, retail, field service, telecommunications, roadside assistance, healthcare, professional services, and manufacturing. 

Glympse operates in over 135 countries and supports more than 36 languages.

Is Glympse Safe?

Depends on your definition of “safe.” 

In a blog post on its website, Glympse says its security features include:

• Temporary location sharing. Users control when and with whom they share their location. Once the predetermined time expires, location data is automatically deleted. 
• No permanent data storage: Glympse doesn’t store your location data permanently. 
• End-to-end encryption: Location data is encrypted from the sender’s device to the recipient. 
• Secure sharing with trusted contacts: Only the chosen individuals can access the shared location. Users can stop sharing their location at any time.
• Regular security audits and updates: Glympse says its platform is continuously monitored and updated with the latest security patches. 

On its Google Play page, Glympse says it encrypts data in transit and allows users to request that their data be deleted. 

Lifewire included Glympse in its roundup of its favorite location-sharing apps and phone tracker apps. 

Android Authority listed Glympse in its roundup of the best location sharing apps for Android devices.

And Popular Science included it in its roundup of location-sharing apps that aren’t run by Apple or Google.  

Glympse gets a 4.5 out of 5.0-star rating (from 116k ratings and 5m+ downloads) on the Google Play Store and a 4.8 out of 5.0-star rating (from 47.9k ratings) on the App Store. 

No data breaches have been associated with Glympse at the time of writing.

Is Glympse Private?

Again, depends on your definition of “private,” but generally, it seems to be.  

Glympse has several privacy features, like “Private Groups,” which is an invite-only space for trusted contacts to share real-time location updates, and temporary location sharing, which lets you control how long your real-time location is visible (up to four hours). 

It says it doesn’t store your location data once you’re done sharing it, so once your chosen sharing duration ends, your location is no longer accessible to anyone, not even Glimpse.

It also says it does not share or sell your data to third-party companies. 

If you install the Glympse app, it requires access to some of your data. However, Glympse says it only requests the permissions it needs. It also provides a link to a page that is supposed to list all of the permissions it requests and why. Unfortunately, the link goes to a “404” page. 

In its privacy policy, Glympse outlines the kind of data it collects and why. 

Glympse’s privacy policy is flagged with a few warnings on Terms of Service; Didn’t Read (ToS;DR), a project that rates internet services’ terms of service and privacy policies.

ToS;DR says that:

• Glympse may change terms at any time at their discretion, without notice to you. 
• The court of law governing the terms is in a jurisdiction that is less friendly to user privacy protection (State of Washington, USA).
• The service is provided ‘as is’ and to be used at the users’ sole risk.

On the plus side, ToS;DR says you can request access, correction and/or deletion of your data, you can opt out of promotional communications, and the service claims to be CCPA compliant for California users and GDPR compliant for European users.

How to Improve Your Safety and Privacy On Glympse

Follow the below steps for a safer and more private experience when using Glympse.

• Set a short time limit for location sharing. After sending a Glympse, use the slider to select a specific time limit, such as 15 or 30 minutes to stop location sharing when it’s no longer necessary. 
• Share your Glympse link only with trusted individuals. Since anyone with the Glympse link can view your real-time location, it’s important to only share it with trusted people. Send the link through secure communication channels like encrypted messaging apps or email, and avoid posting the link on public platforms where strangers might access it.
• Turn off location sharing manually if no longer needed. Even though Glympse will stop sharing your location when the time limit expires, you can manually end the session early if needed. If you’ve arrived at your destination or no longer want to share your location, open the app and tap Stop Glympse to immediately halt location sharing.
• Avoid creating permanent location-sharing groups. Glympse allows you to create groups for easier sharing, but sharing with groups on an ongoing basis can expose your location for longer than intended. For more privacy, share your location on a one-time basis rather than setting up groups that may track you continuously over multiple interactions.
• Limit the details shared in your message. When sending a Glympse, you can add a message/note. To protect your privacy, don’t share any unnecessary personal information, e.g., specific details about your plans.