Snapchat users will be able to share their current location with their friends in real time

Snapchat users will be able to track their friends in a new way. Today, the firm introduced real-time location sharing, which will be used as a temporary buddy system while friends and family are on their way to a date or returning home, for example.

Users who have opted in can see and share their specific position, similar to the Find My app for iOS. Individual users can enable the Snapchat setting for 15 minutes or a few hours, and it is only available amongst mutual friends on the app. Users can suspend sharing without sending the other person a notification to reduce the risk of surveillance or being compelled to constantly reveal location, according to Snapchat. By default, the feature is turned off, and there is no option to share your current location with all of your Snapchat friends.

Users must go to a friend’s profile and pick the period of location sharing to enable the setting. Within the chat box with that friend, the state of live location sharing is shown.

Snapchat’s first live location feature is included in this version. Users can already let their contacts know where they were when they last used Snapchat, which populates the Snap Map, which is utilised by 250 million people every month.

Snapchat is teaming up with It’s On Us, a national group dedicated to ending sexual assault on college campuses, for this launch. In addition to the buddy system, Snapchat will now offer an in-app message regarding bystander awareness starting today.