Field teams are often on the move. Whether they are inspecting assets, responding to incidents, maintaining infrastructure, or collecting data, understanding where work is happening can be just as important as the information being collected.
Organizations often need answers to questions such as:
- Which team member is closest to a new assignment?
- Have crews covered the entire inspection area?
- Was a site visit completed as required?
- Where are resources during an emergency response?
Location Sharing is available in ArcGIS Field Maps, ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS QuickCapture, and ArcGIS Indoors (Classic). When enabled as an Organization Extension and turned on by a user in one of the supported mobile apps, Location Sharing helps organizations understand where mobile workers are now (Last Known Location) and where they have been (Tracks), supporting coordination, worker safety, compliance, and reporting.
Organizations control how location information is managed, users decide when they share their location, and all location data remains within the organization’s ArcGIS environment. Learn more: Location Sharing Best Practices.
What’s Changing in the November 2026 release?
Beginning with the ArcGIS Online November 2026 release and ArcGIS Enterprise 12.2, Location Sharing will be available to more ArcGIS users. Access is moving from a licensing model based on Mobile Worker user types and the Location Sharing User Type Extension to a privileges-based model.
Share Location – Enables users to share their Last Known Location.
- Available to Viewer, Contributor, Mobile Worker, Creator, Professional, and Professional Plus user types.
Share Location History – Enables users to share Tracks (location history).
- Available to Mobile Worker, Creator, Professional and Professional Plus user types.
For those using ArcGIS Enterprise versions prior to 12.2, an equivalent allocation of Location Sharing User Type Extensions has been provided in My Esri for Creator, Professional, and Professional Plus user types. For those using ArcGIS Enterprise versions prior to 11, an equivalent allocation of ArcGIS Tracker licenses has been provided in My Esri for Creator, Professional, and Professional Plus user types.
The Location Sharing User Type Extension and ArcGIS Tracker are no longer available for purchase, as these capabilities are now included through privileges.
Migrating to Privileges
Default Roles
Custom Roles
Many organizations use custom roles for their field workforce. By default, custom roles will not include the new Location Sharing privileges, regardless of user type. Administrators can add or remove these privileges from custom roles, providing greater control over who can share location information and what information is shared.
To support the transition, ArcGIS Online includes a temporary organization setting that enables organizations to continue using the existing licensing-based behavior while custom roles are updated.
The setting is disabled by default and can be enabled once custom roles have been updated with the appropriate Location Sharing privileges.
This setting will be available for 12 months and will be removed in ArcGIS Online fall 2027 release. Beginning in ArcGIS Online fall 2027 release, access to Location Sharing will be determined entirely by the Location Sharing privileges assigned through a user’s role.
Apps and Expected Behaviors
Field Maps
Field Maps will recognize the new Location Sharing privileges beginning with the November 2026 mobile release (version 26.3 and later). If organizations have not migrated to the privileges-based model then Field Maps will allow users with a Mobile Worker, Creator, Professional and Professional Plus user type to share both their Location (Last Known Location) and Location History (Tracks).
Survey123 (Field App) and Survey123 Mobile
- ArcGIS Online – if a user is using a custom role where only one or both privileges are not included, whilst the option will be available to share in the mobile app, these will not be written to the service.
- ArcGIS Enterprise 12.2 – Both Location (Last Known Location) and Location History (Tracks) will be shared, Location Sharing privileges are not enforced.
- Future versions of ArcGIS Enterprise – if a user is using a custom role where only one or both privileges are not included, whilst the option will be available to share in the mobile app, these will not be written to the service.
- Prior versions of ArcGIS Enterprise – Both Location (Last Known Location) and Location History (Tracks) will be shared, Location Sharing privileges are not enforced.
QuickCapture and Indoors (Classic)
QuickCapture and Indoors (Classic) will not enforce the new Location Sharing privileges within the mobile applications. If an organization has migrated to the privileges-based model, the following behavior applies:
- ArcGIS Online – if a user is using a custom role where only one or both privileges are not included, whilst the option will be available to share in the mobile app, these will not be written to the service.
- ArcGIS Enterprise 12.2 – Both Location (Last Known Location) and Location History (Tracks) will be shared, Location Sharing privileges are not enforced.
- Future versions of ArcGIS Enterprise – if a user is using a custom role where only one or both privileges are not included, whilst the option will be available to share in the mobile app, these will not be written to the service.
- Prior versions of ArcGIS Enterprise – Both Location (Last Known Location) and Location History (Tracks) will be shared, Location Sharing privileges are not enforced.
Storage and Credits
In ArcGIS Online, storing Last Known Location and Tracks consumes credits based on standard feature storage rates. Location Sharing data is retained for 30 days by default.
Understanding Last Known Location and Tracks
Location Sharing provides two types of information: Last Known Location and Tracks.
Last Known Location: Where Is Someone Now?
Last Known Location represents the most recent location reported by a mobile worker’s device. Stored as a single point for each user, it provides a live view of field operations and can be used to identify the closest crew to a new assignment, understand where resources are during an incident, and monitor workforce distribution across a service territory.
Tracks: Where Has Someone Been?
Tracks provide a historical record of a user’s movement throughout the day. ArcGIS records a series of location points that create a breadcrumb trail showing where work has taken place.
This information can be used to demonstrate proof of work, verify inspections and site visits, understand coverage across an area, and review activities after an incident or event.
Location Sharing helps organizations understand where mobile workers are now through Last Known Location and where they have been through Tracks. With the November 2026 changes, organizations have greater flexibility to extend location awareness to more users while maintaining control through Location Sharing privileges and custom roles.
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