Have you ever wondered why Snapchat asks for your location while using the app? This is because you can access a host of things on Snap Map which is a Snapchat-exclusive feature. It makes your overall app experience better allowing your friends you know your whereabouts, if you want. Keep reading to find out how you can use Snap Map on Snapchat.
Table of Contents
Accessing Snap Map on Snapchat
1. To get access to Snap Map, open Snapchat on your iPhone or Android, then navigate to the Location icon from the bottom bar.
2. You will see a map view of your current location. You might be asked to turn on your phone’s location, so make sure to do that. This is the opening view of Snap Map. You can see not only your location but also your friends’.
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Find Hot Spots
Explore famous places and locations that have a high concentration of Snapchat users. Find out what other people near you are up to. You can also view publicly shared snaps by other users and interact with them, even if you’re not friends with them on Snapchat.
1. To view Hot Spots in Snapchat, open Snap Map and then tap on the Halo button (circle of colors icon) on the top right of the map screen. This will enable the Hot Spots in your map view.
Note: You can read our guide on what icons, symbols and emojis mean on Snapchat to understand the icons and buttons better.
2. You can also tap on the colored area to see what the fuss is about. This will show you the publicly shared snaps by other people on Snapchat.
Check Satellite View
If you find the default map view of Snapchat less detailed, then you can switch to the more densely detailed Satellite view for that extra buzz.
1. To view in Satellite view, open Snap Map and then tap on the Satellite button (green icon) on the top right of your map screen. This should enable the Satellite view for you.
2. Satellite View gives you a detailed map view for that ease of access. If you decide to zoom in, you can view each street and block in a top-down manner.
Though Snapchat does provide you with a Satellite Map view, we recommend you stick to traditional navigation apps like Google Maps or Apple Maps to get you going the right way.
Memories Map
The Memories Map is an interesting take on the Snap Map scenario. Imagine this. You get to see your snaps on a map on Snapchat depending on where it was taken, be it a place within the same city, in different cities, or even a country.
1. Tap on the Camera Roll icon in Snap Map on Snapchat to switch to the Memories map view.
2. If you tap on any of the memories on the map, then you can view the memory, share it with your friends, or add it to your story on Snapchat.
3. The number highlighted on the top left of the memory indicates the number of saved snaps with that location. For example, the number 20 here indicates a total of 20 snaps saved with this location.
Check Venue Details
1. You can also tap on a nearby location in the Snap Map, for example, a Cafe or a Restaurant, to get useful information like how far is the place from you, the opening status, and if you’ve visited the place.
2. On the bottom side, you will see options to mark the location as a Favorite or directions to the place with an estimated time of arrival.
3. If need be, you can also share that location with your friends on Snapchat. Opening times are also mentioned for ease.
4. The full address of the place is also given along with their contact numbers in case you ever need it. If the place offers delivery, then you also get a delivery option that redirects you to the supported delivery partner.
Live Location Sharing
If you’re worried about your loved ones reaching home safely or need to know your kid’s location when they’re out, then you can ask them to share their live location on Snapchat. That way, you can see their live location. Useful when a friend or family member goes to a faraway place or is working late hours.
1. To enable Live Location with a friend on Snapchat, tap on the Bitmoji of your friend whom you want to share your location with and then tap on Share Live.
2. Choose the duration of the live location to be active. You can choose from Always, 8 Hours, or 1 Hour. (You might be asked to allow Location services to run in the background at all times, so allow it for this to work.)
3. Once you set your preferred duration for live location, it’ll be shared in the chat on Snapchat.
4. To stop sharing your Live location with your friend, tap on Stop Sharing in the chat.
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Discover New Places
The Places tab shows you all the famous nearby places within a 6-mile radius of the map area you’re viewing on Snapchat.
1. To access the Places tab, tap on Places shown with a building icon in the center of the Snap Map view.
2. Once you tap on it, you’ll have a view of the famous nearby places. You can also view the favorite count of that place along with whether the place supports big groups or not.
3. You can further filter out the places shown on the basis of categories like Restaurants, Cafes, Parks, etc.
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Where Are Your Friends
The Friends tab helps you to find all your friends in the Map without scrolling all the way. Pretty useful if you have friends all over the country or in multiple countries across the globe.
1. To find your friends on the Map, tap on the Friends icon located at the bottom right of the Snap Map view.
2. You’ll be presented with a Find Your Friends menu.
3. If you tap on any of your friend’s bitmoji, you’ll be zoomed to their location on the Snap Map.
Customize My Bitmoji
The My Bitmoji tab is all about customizing your bitmoji or updating it temporarily. This way, your friends can know what you’re up to.
1. Access the My Bitmoji tab by tapping on your bitmoji icon on the bottom left of the Snap Map view.
2. You’ll be presented with a menu to update your bitmoji. These updates are temporary and stay active for the next 4 hours from the time of activating. For example, updates like you’re having a coffee or just cozying up in the winter.
3. Tap on Change Outfit and this will give you options to completely customize your bitmoji permanently. In the future, if you want to change your bitmoji again, you can do so using the same method.
4. You can also add a pet or a car with your bitmoji by tapping on Accessorize your look, but it is only accessible to people who have subscribed to Snapchat+.
Edit Location Settings
Do you know you can change your Location Settings for Snapchat directly from the Snap Map view?
1. Tap on the cog icon on the top right of the Snap map view to change your Location Settings.
2. You can choose to share your location only with your friends on Snapchat by selecting My Friends.
3. If you don’t want to share your location with your nosy friends, then you can do so by opting for My Friends, Except… and selecting the name of that friend on Snapchat.
4. If you don’t want to share your location with everybody but still want that one close friend to know about your activity, then you can do so by selecting the option Only These Friends… and selecting the name of that friend on Snapchat.
5. You can enable Ghost Mode so nobody will be able to see your location or your Bitmoji on Snap Map.
Pro Tip: You can also share your Live location directly with your best friends from the Location settings menu.
Get Access to Global
If you pan out on the map more, then you can get access to content from anywhere in the world, be it finding your friend in some other country or just casually browsing through to find trending content.
1. Pinch inward to zoom out on the Snap map in Snapchat to broaden your viewfinder for more content. This way you can look for friends who are in faraway places.
2. You can also zoom in on a place to look for trending users there. For example, if I zoom in on the United States, then I’ll get some trending stories that were sent by users to Spotlight.
Map for Snapchat
Even if you’ve never used the Snap map features on Snapchat, you’ll be able to do so by reading our guide on it. So get going with the location gods and find that perfect place to chill with your friends.
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Nitin Singh
A tech writer during the day and an anime aficionado by the night. When not in front of a screen, he can be seen playing Badminton. Appreciating the beauty of nature is a habit that has been developed since early on. Have views on tech, cars or life? Drop a text!
