When WhatsApp live location is not quite enough
WhatsApp lets you share your live location in a chat for a length of time you choose, and it is end-to-end encrypted. Orbily is built for the group around it: one map for everyone who shares, an SOS that reaches all of them at once, check-ins, alerts when someone gets home, and temporary orbits that end with the trip.
Join the beta| Feature | Orbily | |
|---|---|---|
| Live location with a group | Yes: One map for everyone who shares in the orbit. | Yes: Share your live location in an individual or a group chat.1 |
| Ends by itself | Yes: On a timer, or when a temporary orbit ends. | Yes: After the length of time you choose.1 |
| SOS to the whole group | Yes: One tap, a 10-second countdown, then everyone is alerted with where you are. | No: Not a WhatsApp feature.1 |
| Arrival alerts | Yes: Know when someone gets home or leaves work. | No: Not a WhatsApp feature.1 |
| Safety boundaries | Yes: Asked for, agreed by the person they cover, and switchable off at any time. | No: Not a WhatsApp feature.1 |
Where WhatsApp is ahead
- Everyone already has it, so there is nothing to install.
- Live location in WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted.
Why not just share live location in the group chat?
For a quick meet-up, that works. For a weekend away or a family, Orbily keeps everyone on one map, lets someone ask you to check in, tells you when people get home, and keeps the plan beside it — and an SOS reaches the whole orbit at once.
Do I have to give up WhatsApp?
No. Keep chatting wherever you like. Orbily is for the people in an orbit: its chat sits beside the map and the plan, and you can send an orbit's invite link through WhatsApp in one tap.
More questions about Orbily and WhatsApp
Yes. The invite screen sends the orbit's link and code through WhatsApp, Messages or email in one tap.
Not unless you choose it. When you join, Orbily asks how you want to take part: live, on a timer, or updates only.
Sources
What this page says about WhatsApp comes from WhatsApp's own pages, checked on 4 October 2026. Plans and features change: if something here is out of date, tell us at info@joinorbily.app and we will correct it.