Field operations rely on timely, accurate location information to coordinate teams, monitor activities, and make informed decisions. With Location Sharing in ArcGIS, organizations can gain visibility into the movement of their mobile workforce while supporting operational efficiency, accountability, and worker safety.

Starting with the November 2026 release of ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise 12.2, Esri is changing how users access Location Sharing capabilities. Instead of relying on specific user types and separate licensing extensions, access will be managed through privileges assigned to user roles.

This change will allow more ArcGIS users to share their location and give administrators greater flexibility in determining who can share location information and whether location history can be recorded.

How Location Sharing Supports Field Operations

Location Sharing is available in ArcGIS Field Maps, ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS QuickCapture, and ArcGIS Indoors (Classic). When enabled for an organization and activated by users in supported mobile applications, it provides two types of location information: Last Known Location and Tracks.

These capabilities help organizations address everyday operational challenges, including identifying available field personnel, checking inspection coverage, verifying site visits, and locating resources during emergency response.

Organizations retain control over location data within their ArcGIS environment, while individual users control when they share their location. For guidance on responsible implementation, consult Esri’s Location Sharing Best Practices.

What Is Changing in November 2026?

The November 2026 ArcGIS Online release and ArcGIS Enterprise 12.2 introduce a privileges-based approach to Location Sharing. Two privileges determine the type of location information users can share.

1. Share Location

This privilege allows users to share their Last Known Location, providing a view of their most recently reported position.

It will be available to users with the following user types:

• Viewer
• Contributor
• Mobile Worker
• Creator
• Professional
• Professional Plus

2. Share Location History

This privilege allows users to share Tracks, creating a record of their movement over time.

It will be available to users with these user types:

• Mobile Worker
• Creator
• Professional
• Professional Plus

The distinction gives organizations more flexibility to provide basic location visibility to a wider range of staff while controlling access to location history separately. The Location Sharing User Type Extension and ArcGIS Tracker are no longer available for purchase because their capabilities are transitioning to the privileges-based model.

Organizations running older ArcGIS Enterprise versions will have access to equivalent licensing allocations through My Esri. For versions before Enterprise 12.2, Location Sharing User Type Extensions have been allocated for Creator, Professional, and Professional Plus user types. For versions before Enterprise 11, equivalent ArcGIS Tracker licenses have been provided for these user types.

Preparing Your Organization for the New Model

The transition will affect how administrators manage access, particularly when custom roles are used.

Default Roles

In ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise 12.2, the new privileges will be applied to default roles. If Location Sharing is enabled for the organization, users with these roles will be able to access the relevant functionality according to their assigned privileges and the capabilities supported by their mobile applications.

Custom Roles

Custom roles will not automatically receive the new Location Sharing privileges, regardless of the assigned user type. Administrators should review their existing roles and determine which staff members need to share their Last Known Location, location history, or both. The appropriate privileges can then be added to each custom role.

ArcGIS Online will also provide a temporary setting that allows organizations to retain the existing licensing-based behavior while updating their custom roles. This setting will be disabled by default and will remain available for 12 months before being removed in the ArcGIS Online fall 2027 release. After the transition period, access to Location Sharing in ArcGIS Online will be determined by the privileges assigned through each user’s role.

What administrators should do now:

• Review the user types and roles assigned to field personnel.
• Identify which staff members require Last Known Location, Tracks, or both.
• Update custom roles with the appropriate Location Sharing privileges.
• Test location-sharing workflows across the mobile applications used by field teams.
• Review data retention practices and the credit implications of storing location information.

What the Changes Mean for Supported Apps

Although the licensing changes apply across the ArcGIS platform, individual applications will adopt and enforce the new privileges differently.

ArcGIS Field Maps

Field Maps will recognize the new Location Sharing privileges starting with mobile version 26.3, associated with the November 2026 release. If an organization has not transitioned to the privileges-based model, users with Mobile Worker, Creator, Professional, and Professional Plus user types will continue to be able to share both Last Known Location and Tracks.

Organizations that want Viewers and Contributors to share their Last Known Location must transition to the privileges-based model in ArcGIS Online.

ArcGIS Survey123

Survey123 (Field App) is being replaced by Survey123 Mobile, its successor. At the time of the November 2026 release, Survey123 Mobile will not yet support Location Sharing, although support is planned for a future release. Survey123 (Field App) will continue to support both Last Known Location and Tracks for users with Mobile Worker, Creator, Professional, and Professional Plus user types.

Administrators should also account for differences between ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. In ArcGIS Online, users working with custom roles that lack the required privileges may still see the sharing option in the mobile application, but their location information will not be written to the service.

The supplied release guidance indicates that Enterprise 12.2 and earlier Enterprise versions do not enforce these privileges in the same way. Future Enterprise releases are expected to prevent location data from being written to the service when the necessary privileges are missing.

ArcGIS QuickCapture and ArcGIS Indoors (Classic)

QuickCapture and Indoors (Classic) will not enforce the new Location Sharing privileges directly within their mobile applications. However, where the privileges-based model is in use, missing privileges can affect whether location information is stored. In ArcGIS Online, and in future Enterprise releases, location data from users without the required privileges will not be written to the service, even if the sharing option remains visible in the app.

Enterprise 12.2 and earlier Enterprise versions will continue to behave differently, as the new privileges are not enforced in the same way. Organizations should therefore verify their ArcGIS deployment version and application workflows before changing user roles or retiring existing licensing arrangements.

Location Sharing Storage and Credits

For ArcGIS Online organizations, storing Last Known Location and Tracks consumes credits at standard feature storage rates. Location Sharing data is retained for 30 days by default. Organizations should review their storage requirements, retention policies, and credit consumption to ensure that location data supports operational needs without creating unnecessary costs.

Last Known Location vs. Tracks: Understanding the Difference

Although both capabilities provide workforce location information, they serve different purposes.

Last Known Location shows the most recently reported position of a mobile worker’s device. It is useful for understanding where personnel are located, identifying nearby teams for new assignments, and monitoring resource distribution during incidents.

Tracks record a worker’s movements over time, creating a trail of location points. This historical information can help organizations review inspection coverage, verify field visits, document work activities, and assess movements during or after an incident.

Together, these capabilities provide a more complete picture of field operations, helping teams understand both where personnel are and where they have been.

Getting Ready for the Location Sharing Changes

The November 2026 licensing changes will give organizations greater flexibility in managing Location Sharing across ArcGIS. By shifting access to role-based privileges, the new model makes it possible to extend Last Known Location to additional user types while managing access to location history separately.

The transition will require particular attention to custom roles, supported mobile applications, ArcGIS Enterprise versions, and existing licensing arrangements.

Organizations can prepare by reviewing their current configurations, updating permissions, and testing workflows before adopting the new model. Taking these steps will help minimize disruption and ensure that field teams continue to use location information effectively.

For organizations that depend on mobile workforce coordination, understanding these changes is an important step toward maintaining reliable location-sharing workflows while taking advantage of the greater flexibility offered by ArcGIS.