FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

SENDING A GLYMPSE

  1. What is Glympse?

    Glympse™ is a mobile application that offers an entirely new way to share your location with friends, family and business associates. When you send a Glympse to someone, you send a link (unique URL) that opens to a dynamic map when clicked and lets the recipient see your location for however long you specified using our GlympseWatch™ timer (from a second up to four hours … this map can update in real-time). Once the Glympse timer expires - that's it. Your location will no longer be shared. You can choose to extend a Glympse before it expires and you can always "update" or "delete" a Glympse at any time. The person you send it to does not have to have any special software installed. Surprise your friends and colleagues by being the first one to send them a Glympse. Watch our video here!

  2. Which phones and wireless providers does Glympse support?

    We have launched our public beta on T-Mobile G1™ phones with Android! Have another phone? We also have a Private Beta for the iPhone, BlackBerry® and Windows Mobile®. Other leading Smartphone devices are being added soon, so sign up to be notified. Get Glympse!

  3. Am I in control of the Glympse that I send?

    Yes, you are in control over WHO can see your location, WHEN and for HOW LONG. We have created the service to make it easy to share your whereabouts with anyone of your choosing, and to provide the flexibility for you to stop sharing your location or movements at any time before the Glympse expires.

  4. Is there any way to share my location or movements with someone all the time?

    Not at this time. Our time-based approach provides inherent personal security and privacy controls, and the current offering provides a limit of up to four hours that you may share your whereabouts. However, you can extend any Glympse for another four hours or send a new Glympse any time if one expires. We learned through our private Beta program that this "auto shut-off" feature gave people greater comfort knowing they do not have to worry about sharing their whereabouts indiscriminately at inappropriate times.

  5. Can I cancel or change the time allotted for my Glympse after it has been sent

    With Glympse, the user is in control. You can delete or modify a Glympse at any time. Once you cancel a message, recipients will only be able to see your last location. You may also choose to extend any Glympse before it expires for up to four hours at a time. You can also change your message and destination if you want.

  6. Can someone see my location via Glympse if I am inside a building?

    Glympse works within current GPS satellite technology, Skyhook Wi-Fi and cell tower triangulation. While we can triangulate your location to a certain accuracy, we may not be able to pinpoint your location exactly when you are inside buildings. The good news is the GPS technology is continuing to improve, and our private Beta program has had positive feedback.

  7. Do my friends need Glympse to see my location?

    Anyone with an Internet-enabled phone or email address can view a Glympse. Recipients do not need to download the service or receive and accept an invite to see the sender's whereabouts. While your friends do not need Glympse, they should know that they will have a better and more interactive experience if they also download the application.

  8. Can more than one person see me at once?

    The sender of a Glympse can include as many people as they want on their message, enabling as many or as few recipients of your whereabouts as you would like.

  9. How do I know if a recipient(s) has viewed my Glympse?

    By simply clicking on the Glympse history screen, a sender can see if someone has opened the Glympse message or not. So you'll know that they know where you are.

  10. How do I know if my location is being transmitted?

    From the Glympse Map screen, there is a circle between your picture (avatar) and the nickname. If that circle is green, your location is being transmitted. When it is red, you are not sharing your location (perhaps because of a temporary network connection failure). Glympse will be able to share your most recent location and movement as your connection and location detection are restored.

  11. Do I decide when I am sharing my location?

    Yes, the only way that Glympse will share your location is when you physically send a Glympse from your phone. And it only shares your location for the timeframe you set.

  12. Can I send a Glympse to or from outside the United States?

    Yes, you can! The only issues that might affect international transmission or receipt, is your specific data and international coverage of your plans. Glympse advises you check with your wireless provider if you plan to be sharing your location internationally. Because Glympse transmits data, users are advised to have an unlimited data plan.

  13. How much does Glympse cost?

    You can download Glympse for free on G1. Join us now – Get Glympse!

  14. What are battery considerations?

    When inactive, Glympse consumes very little power in the background. When you are watching yourself on a map updating your location it will use your GPS which impacts battery life, when you send a glympse, you will be broadcasting data which also consumes battery. Glympse will automatically warn you when your battery is at 20% and stop broadcasting unless you choose to continue.

  15. How can I give feedback about Glympse?

    We would love to hear from you! Please use our Contact Us page or just send email to customercare [AT] glympse [DOT] com.

  16. How can I send a Glympse to my Twitter followers?

    You can find the information in the Quick Start / Send A Glympse section.

RECEIVING A GLYMPSE

  1. Can people who have received Glympses from more than one person in a city, see multiple people on one map?

    Yes, if you have received a Glympse from more than one person, you just need to select the appropriate links to see the location or movements of each sender. If you are running Glympse on our phone, you will see all people on the map who have glympsed you. If you are viewing a Glympse on a PC, you can add additional Glympses by pasting the Web-link into the 'View a Glympse'.

  2. Can anyone receive a Glympse?

    Anyone with an Internet-enabled phone or an email address can view a Glympse. You do not need to download the application or even have heard about Glympse to receive a message. NOTE: While the recipient's experience is more dynamic on a Smartphone that has the Glympse application, any Internet-enabled phone will allow the recipient to see a map of the sender's whereabouts.

  3. Can I see a sender's location at all times?

    With Glympse, recipients only see a sender's location for the time allotted by the sender, from minutes up to four hours. Once the Glympse has expired, the recipient can only see the user's last location.

  4. What are the minimum requirements to view the Glympse web site?

    Internet browser: Internet Explorer 6 or above; Firefox 3 or above; Safari 4 or above. Flash: 9.0 or above

  5. Why did the Glympse invite end up in my Junk / Spam folder?

    The Glympse invite is very short, causing some mail applications to filter it as junk mail.

  6. Sometimes there is no map displayed when viewing a Glympse on my computer. What am I doing wrong?

    Your view may be zoomed in too far. Use the Zoom bar on the right side to zoom out until you can see more of the map. Also, you can switch to satellite view to see aerial satellite images instead of the reduced detail "street" view.

  7. Is there a location precision indicator on the Glympse Web View?

    The color of the arrow pointer and the color of the circle(s) around the arrow pointer give the following indications:

    • Gold arrow pointer: keeps you centered on Screen; you can switch the map rendering mode between follow and traveling.
    • Blue arrow pointer: means you are manually panning the screen to center the map manually.
    • Red arrow pointer: Not receiving new tracks from active Glympse (or it is an expired Glympse).
    • Green circles around the arrow pointer indicate current status:
      • Multiple indicate a new update received
      • Single indicates a missed update (a couple of these before going red)
    • Red circle around the arrow pointer indicates no updates being received
  8. Why do I receive an SMS message from Glympse?

    It's because a Glympse user has chosen to share their whereabouts with you! Click on the link in the message (for example: http://www.glympse.com/ABC-123) to see their location or real-time movement!

PERSONAL SAFETY AND SECURITY

  1. Is Glympse safe?

    Glympse is as safe as sending a text message or making a phone call. The user is in control of who sees their whereabouts and for how long, providing an additional level of safety for the sender.

  2. Is there a minimum age to use Glympse?

    14 years or older. For more information, please see our Terms of Use.

  3. Why does Glympse have a time limit?

    Glympse's patent-pending GlympseWatch timer allows users to determine exactly how long their location will be shared with each Glympse message, from a few minutes or up to four hours. It acts as an "auto shut off" security feature, addressing the concern that users can easily forget to turn off location-sharing mode and unintentionally share their location at inappropriate times.

  4. Do you monitor a user's location after their Glympse expires?

    Glympse does not send location information from the mobile if the user has no active glympses.