Snapchat today announced that it is further expanding its Snap Map feature. As noted by The Verge, Snapchat is launching a new feature called Map Explore that gives updates when their friends travel places or attend an event…
Basically, when you open the Snap Map, you’ll now see cards along the bottom of the interface with details about events and where your friends are. For instance, if a friend takes a flight, Map Explore might show you that information in a card that says “Tommy flew from Tucson to Chicago.”
You can swipe between the cards to view updates about your other friends, as well as updates about ongoing events. For instance, you might see a card for Opening Day baseball later this month, or for other live events such as concerts.
To access the Snap Map, pinch like you’re zooming out on the camera view of the app. From there, you should see the Snap Map and the new Map Explore update cards along the bottom.
Snap says that Map Explore updates are based on how the locations of your friends change and update. The company notes that the Map Explore updates are “inferred from the locations they open the app at.”
This means that if a friend hasn’t opened the Snapchat app in 8 hours, their location will disappear from the Snap map. Furthermore, only one status will be visible for each user at a time, The Verge notes:
Snap notes that Map Explore updates are generated by actions your friends make in real life, “inferred from the locations they open the app at.” That means that if your friend is sharing their location on the map but hasn’t opened the app in eight hours, their location will disappear.
Only one status is visible for each user at any given time, and each status can be viewed for up to 24 hours.
The new Map Explore feature is rolling out gradually over the next few weeks. What do you think? Are these types of updates worth the privacy risks that come with constantly broadcasting your location? Let us know down in the comments!
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