Snapchat’s Snap Map allows users to share their locations with friends on a map. The feature was introduced in 2017 and sparked immediate privacy concerns. Many wonder if Snap Map really is private or if their location is being shared with more people than they realize.
What is Snap Map?
Snap Map is a feature within the Snapchat app that allows users to share their location on a map with friends. Users can choose to share their exact location, general area, or opt out of Snap Map completely. Friends on Snapchat can view each other’s locations if location sharing is enabled.
There are a few different ways to use Snap Map:
- View the map to see where friends are located in real-time
- View stories that friends have posted to “Our Story”, which compiles snaps from multiple users in the same area
- View stories from events and places around the world
- Share your own location and stories with friends
The Snap Map displays user bitmoji avatars in their location. Friends can tap on a user’s bitmoji to view their public stories. Tap-and-hold shows the user’s name and how long it has been since they shared their location.
Is Snap Map Private?
When Snap Map was first introduced, many users were concerned about their privacy. Specifically, they wondered:
- Who can see my location on Snap Map?
- Is my location being tracked when I’m not using Snapchat?
- Can strangers see where I am through Snap Map?
Snapchat responded by emphasizing that Snap Map allows users to control who can see their location. By default, only friends you’ve added on Snapchat can view your Snap Map location. Strangers or non-friends cannot see where you are on the map.
Snap Map Privacy Settings
Snapchat offers three privacy options for Snap Map:
- Ghost Mode – Your location is not visible to anyone on the Snap Map. You can still see where your friends are if they have opted to share their locations.
- My Friends – Your location is only visible to your added Snapchat friends. This is the default setting.
- Select Friends… – You can pick and choose which friends can view your location on Snap Map.
These settings allow users to control who can see their location. Ghost Mode effectively lets you opt out of Snap Map altogether while still allowing you to view friend locations if desired.
When is My Location Updated?
A user’s location on Snap Map is only updated when the Snapchat app is open. This means it isn’t tracking your location in the background throughout the day. Location is updated as you open Snapchat and use it, then disappears after a certain amount of time when you aren’t actively using the app.
Can Strangers See My Location?
As mentioned above, strangers or other Snapchat users who aren’t friends cannot see your precise location or bitmoji on Snap Map. However, if you choose to submit a snap to “Our Story”, it may be visible to a wider audience depending on your settings.
Stories posted to Our Story pool together public snaps from multiple Snapchat users in the same area. These are viewable by anyone who looks at the Stories for that place. So sharing publicly to Our Story does expand the potential audience beyond just your friends list.
Pros of Snap Map
While Snap Map introduced new privacy questions, many users find the location sharing feature useful:
- Find Friends Easily – Snap Map makes it easy to see where your friends are hanging out. You can quickly identify who is close by to potentially meet up.
- View Event Stories – Get an insider’s view of events, places, and locations by viewing public Our Stories.
- Coordinating Meetups – Easily coordinate meetups with the ability to see friends’ locations.
- Safety – Parents of younger users may appreciate being able to view kids’ whereabouts.
Overall, Snap Map adds convenience for coordinating with friends and discovering content related to your area. The location sharing features enables use cases that some find beneficial.
Concerns About Snap Map
While Snap Map can be useful, some users and privacy advocates have raised concerns, including:
- Oversharing Sensitive Location Data – Critics argue Snap Map encourages sharing granular location data unnecessarily. This data could be used to track users, violate privacy or facilitate stalking.
- Always-On Tracking – Some argue Snap Map promotes near-constant location tracking as the app encourages you to continually update your whereabouts.
- Kids’ Safety – Sharing kids’ locations publicly raises safety issues. Predators could potentially abuse Snap Map to target minors.
- Impulsive Sharing – Impulsive location sharing may have unintended consequences, like revealing you aren’t home when you should be.
These concerns suggest users should be cautious in how they use Snap Map and who they choose to share their location with. Leaving location services on at all times may share more than intended.
How Private is Your Location in Other Apps?
Snapchat is far from the only app that utilizes location services and mapping features. Here is a look at how some other popular apps handle location privacy:
- Checks in and shares precise location
- Nearby Friends feature shows general vicinity of contacts
- Location History tracks movement over time
- Location settings control how much data is shared
- Tags locations on posts, shares to Instagram Map
- Nearby feature shows user content by location
- Location data used for ads targeting
- Toggle on/off location services
- Tweets can be geotagged with precise location
- Location data can be used for targeted content
- Enable/disable location services
- Less granular location sharing than other apps
- Real-time location sharing
- Customize how long locations are shared
- Doesn’t post locations publicly
- End-to-end encrypted chats
As these examples show, most social apps utilize location data in some capacity. You must ultimately judge your own privacy comfort level and adjust app permissions accordingly.
How to Use Snap Map Safely
If you use Snap Map, here are some tips to stay safe and protect your privacy:
- Only share your location with trusted friends you know personally. Avoid accepting friend requests from strangers.
- Use Ghost Mode when you don’t want to share your whereabouts at all.
- Avoid having your location visible 24/7. Occasionally toggle it off.
- Be selective about posting publicly to Our Story. Assume a wider audience will see.
- Review your Snap Map settings periodically. Make sure appropriate friends are selected.
- Watch out for stalkers or unwanted contacts trying to view your location.
- Talk to kids about Snap Map safety if they use Snapchat.
Staying vigilant about your settings and sharing is the best way to keep your location private. Disable location sharing if unsure.
Is There a Way to Use Snap Map 100% Privately?
The only way to completely opt out of Snap Map and ensure full privacy is to use Ghost Mode. This stops your location from being visible on the Snap Map. You will not show up as a bitmoji avatar anywhere on the map.
Ghost Mode effectively disables Snap Map while still allowing you to view friend locations if desired. This gives you maximum privacy without losing map functionality.
You can switch between Ghost Mode and sharing your location at any time. The process is straightforward:
- Open Snapchat and tap the Profile icon in the top left corner
- Tap the Settings gear icon in the top right
- Select ‘See My Location’ under Snap Map settings
- Choose Ghost Mode to disable sharing your location
That’s all it takes to go fully invisible! The setting change takes place right away. You will disappear from the Snap Map immediately after enabling Ghost Mode.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Snap Map does provide more location privacy control than many users first realized when it launched. The ability to limit visibility to friends-only versus publicly posting snaps provides options to customize your privacy.
However, there are certainly risks associated with location sharing apps. You must weigh if the convenience of features like Snap Map are worth the potential risks and privacy trade-offs.
Adjusting privacy settings, being cautious about oversharing, and enabling Ghost Mode when desired are good ways to balance the benefits of Snapchat’s location tools with personal privacy.
Like with all social media and technology, it comes down to carefully evaluating your own comfort level. Don’t hesitate to limit sharing or turn off location if unsure. You can always toggle it back on later if you change your mind.
| Snap Map Privacy Setting | Who Can See Your Location |
|---|---|
| Ghost Mode | No one |
| My Friends | Your friends list only |
| Select Friends | Only chosen friends |
Key Takeaways
- Snap Map lets Snapchat users share locations on a map
- Friends can view your location, but not strangers by default
- Ghost Mode disables Snap Map and removes your location
- Be selective about who you share with
- Location is updated when using the app, not constantly tracked