WhatsApp is working on a better way to ask "Where are you?"

Asking “Where are you?” on WhatsApp can lead to surprisingly complicated answers. You want a map pin; your friend needs instructions on how to find the location-sharing menu. WhatsApp could soon make that exchange easier with a dedicated location request.

Our APK teardown of WhatsApp version 2.26.41.11 uncovered a “Request location” option, which we manually enabled on a test device. It sits inside the “Send location” screen, alongside the existing options to share your live location or send your current location.

Those existing options let you share your own whereabouts, either as a moving location that updates or a static point on the map. The new button serves the other side of that conversation: asking someone else where they are.

Tapping “Request location” sends a card labeled “Location request” into the chat. So, instead of typing “Send me your location” and risk becoming a tutor, you can send a dedicated request that stands out in the conversation.

That’s the part we’ve confirmed. We couldn’t test how the recipient would respond because we couldn’t get the feature to work on our second phone. On that phone, the request appeared as an unsupported message, so we couldn’t explore the next step.

One possibility is that tapping the request opens WhatsApp’s location-sharing screen, letting the recipient choose whether to share a live location or their current position. That remains speculation, though. We haven’t confirmed the recipient’s controls or response flow.

The idea has a close counterpart in Apple’s iMessage, where iPhone users can open the Location menu and select Request to ask for someone’s location. The appeal is straightforward: a built-in request could save you from having to explain where to find the sharing options. It also saves you from receiving a text-based address response when you want someone’s live location.

This WhatsApp feature remains under development, and we don’t yet know when it might launch. For anyone who regularly doubles as the family’s tech support while arranging a meetup, this small addition could prove useful.