Does Snapchat show when you share your location with someone?

Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send photo and video messages that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s features is the ability to share your location with friends. This can be useful for meeting up or just letting friends know where you are. But does Snapchat notify the other person when you share your location? Let’s take a closer look.

Snapchat Location Sharing Basics

There are a couple ways to share your location on Snapchat:

Send your current location in a chat – You can select the location pin icon when chatting to share your live location for a specific amount of time (15 mins, 1 hour, or all day).

Add your location to a Snap – You can geofilter your Snaps to show your current neighborhood or city.

In both cases, the location sharing disappears once the time limit passes or after the Snap has been opened.

Does Snapchat Notify When You Share Location in Chat?

When you share your live location in a Snapchat chat, the other user is notified. Here’s what happens from the recipient’s side:

They will see a map pin icon appear in the chat.
Tapping the map pin will open a map showing the sharer’s location.
The chat info header shows “[Username] is sharing their location until [time].”

So yes, Snapchat clearly notifies the recipient when someone shares their live location in chat. There is no way to secretly share your location in this way.

Does Snapchat Notify About Location on Snaps?

When you add a geofilter to your Snaps showing your general location, Snapchat does not explicitly notify recipients about this location sharing.

However, recipients can still easily see that your Snaps have a geofilter on them. Here’s what they will observe:

The Snap will have an overlay icon indicating the name of the location (e.g. a city or neighborhood).
Viewing the Snap details shows the geotag of where it was taken.

So while Snapchat doesn’t actively alert recipients about geotagged Snaps, your location is not secret. Some users even find geofilters fun and engaging!

Third-Party Location Tracking

While Snapchat itself may not always notify about location sharing, there are some third-party apps that can potentially detect location on Snapchat:

Snapchat Maps – Friends can see your location if you have location sharing enabled in Snapchat’s Snap Map.
Find My Friends – This app shows friends’ locations across multiple services, including Snapchat.

Life360 – A family tracking app that can also show Snapchat locations.

So if you have enabled location sharing in other apps, your Snapchat activity may be visible there without any notification from Snapchat itself.

Disabling Snapchat Location Sharing

If you want to disable location sharing entirely on Snapchat, here are the steps:

Open your Snapchat settings.
Go to the “See My Location” section.
Toggle off “Ghost Mode” – this disables live location sharing.

Toggle off “Snap Map” – this opts you out of the Snapchat Map.

With these settings disabled, you can use Snapchat without any location tracking or disclosure to friends.

Conclusion

To summarize:

Snapchat always notifies when you actively share live location in chat.
Geofilters on Snaps do not trigger notifications, but locations are still visible.
Third-party apps may be able to detect Snapchat location sharing.

You can disable location services completely in Snapchat’s settings.

So while Snapchat itself keeps friends in the loop for live location sharing, your activity may be visible through other means. Adjust your app permissions and settings accordingly for your desired privacy level.

Additional References

Here are some useful guides for more information about Snapchat location sharing:

Reference	Key Points
Snapchat Support: Share your location	Official guidance from Snapchat on how to share locations. Covers live locations in chat and Snap Map. Includes instructions for changing location settings.
Snapchat Support: Ghost Mode	Explains how Ghost Mode disables live location sharing. Notes that location can still appear through Snap Map and geofilters if enabled. Details how to turn Ghost Mode on or off.
Snapchat Safety Center: Location	Reviews Snapchat’s approach to location sharing. Reassures users about privacy protections. Provides tips for parents on child safety.

By reviewing Snapchat’s official help guides, you can get a better understanding of exactly how location sharing works and how to tailor settings for your needs.

What to know about location sharing on other social media platforms

Snapchat isn’t the only social media app with location sharing features. Many platforms give users the option to share their locations or view friends’ locations to some extent. Here’s an overview of how it works on some other top apps:

Facebook

Can share live location in Messenger chats or stories.

Nearby Friends feature shows approximate locations of connections.
Events can be displayed publicly with location info.
Locations tagged in posts and photos are visible.

Instagram

Can share locations in Direct messages.
Locations can be tagged on posts and stories.
The Explore map shows geotagged posts near you.

Can share live location in chats.
Groups can be tagged with location information.
Location tagging available in media sharing.

Twitter

Tweets can be geotagged with location information.
The Explore tab features location-based trends.
Fleets had an optional map picker to share locations.

As you can see, most major social networks include some support for location-based services. The implementation details and privacy controls vary across apps. So be sure to check the settings carefully on any app where you wish to limit location sharing.

Best practices for location sharing

If you do choose to share your location on social media, here are some tips to stay safe and maintain appropriate privacy:

Only share temporarily for specific meetups – don’t leave it on all the time.

Restrict access to your close friends and family instead of everyone.
Avoid tagging exact home or work addresses when possible.
Turn off background location access for apps you don’t need it for.

Use alternative apps like Find My for trusted contacts only.
Review your security and privacy settings regularly.

Location can be a helpful and connecting feature when used mindfully. Follow general digital safety guidelines and your location sharing experiences on Snapchat and elsewhere will be positive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Snapchat notify your friends when you screenshot their Snap?

No, Snapchat does not send a notification when you take a screenshot of a friend’s Snap. This differs from Instagram, which does notify users of screenshots in Direct chats. Snapchat skips the screenshot notification to maintain the app’s casual, in-the-moment vibe.

Can you tell if someone is stalking your Snapchat location?

Not directly, but there are a few clues that may indicate a friend is repeatedly viewing your location on Snapchat:

If they send multiple messages referencing your location updates.

If they constantly meet up with you without making specific plans.
If you notice their Snap Map Bitmoji frequently hovering near yours.

While there are no foolproof ways to confirm location stalking, these signs could suggest an over-interested friend. You can always disable Snap Map or chat location sharing if you’re uncomfortable.

Is it safe for kids to share locations on Snapchat?

Location sharing comes with risks for users of all ages, but especially younger teens and kids. Parents are recommended to disable Snapchat location features for children under 18. While useful in moderation, uncontrolled location access can expose kids’ whereabouts and lead to unwanted real-world encounters.