What is the difference between a static location and live-location sharing?¶
A static location communicates one map point; live-location sharing is designed to transmit a sequence of device-reported positions during a defined period. Neither feature automatically proves where a named person was.
One point and a changing feed¶
A static point can be detected from the device's location service or manually selected on a map. It does not continue updating after it is sent.
A live session has a start, intended duration and successive updates. Connectivity, battery restrictions, location settings and signal conditions can delay, interrupt or reduce those updates. A gap is not necessarily proof that the device stopped moving, and a plotted line may interpolate rather than record every part of a journey.
Preserve the feature's native record¶
Record the account and device, message identifier, start and end times, time basis, coordinates, update intervals, displayed route and reason the session ended where available. Preserve individual points rather than only a screenshot of the final map.
Compare the sequence with device-location artefacts, network and transport records, CCTV and witnesses. A location can also be manually selected, and the person carrying a reporting device may not be the account holder.
The point to remember
Distinguish a fixed shared point from a time-based device-location feed, preserving every update and corroborating both movement and human attribution.
