In the past, people used to have ask their friends or family what they were up to, but now they can track loved ones’ progress, or the status of a pizza delivery, all while parked in front of the TV.
A new integration between Glympse and Samsung brings the Seattle startup’s location sharing service to what is typically the biggest screen in the house, the TV. Back in January, the two firms announced Glympse’s integration into the Samsung Family Hub 2.0 series of smart appliances.
“Our platform enables location sharing across a wide range of needs, including consumers, businesses, and Internet of Things — anywhere real-time location and estimated time of arrival is required,” said Bryan Trussel, CEO of Glympse. “Our strong and growing relationship with Samsung has allowed us to maximize the ways we provide this technology — from the handset to the watch and now the TV to the fridge.”
Glympse released this video showing how the service works:
Glympse’s app is available in the Samsung TV app store, and users can set it up by entering their mobile number into the TV. That will enable them to track progress and updates shared by people in their network, including friends and family, as well as third-party services such as delivery people or the cable technician.
Late last year, Glympse raised $11 million to grow internally and add more customers. Founded in 2008 by Trussel and his former Microsoft colleagues Steve Miller and Jeremy Mercer (who left the company in 2011), Glympse’s integrations range from car companies like General Motors and Mercedes, to other devices, like the Amazon Echo, to restaurants like Pizza Hut.
Location sharing is a touchy issue in tech, with companies wary of alienating users with anything that seems like it could violate their privacy or safety. But Glympse has been offering the service for years, and it appears the trend is starting to catch on.
In March, Google Maps started rolling out a new feature that lets users send their location and ETA to friends in real time. Trussel told GeekWire in March he was surprised it took companies like Google, as well as Uber, Apple and Lyft so long to implement location sharing features. As the trend has caught on, Trussel said, Glympse’s usage has increased at a rapid pace.
