Snapchat Announces Live Location Tool to Share Location in Real-Time

Snapchat announced that users will now be able to share their location in real-time in order “to safely explore the world around them.”

Snapchatters have been able to share their location on the Snap Map, but the app needed to remain open for the location to update. The Live Location tool will allow users to continue to share their location while the app is closed. 

Users will need to opt into the feature, so it will not automatically share locations in real-time. The tool will only share the location with a person’s Snapchat friends, so you don’t have to worry about sharing your whereabouts with strangers. 

“As a platform built for communicating with close friends, we know that location sharing can be an easy and impactful way for young people to stay connected and safe,” the company said in a blog post. “In fact, according to feedback from our community, we know that Snapchatters feel even more connected to their friends when they see them on Snap Map and that they are motivated to share their location with friends because they think it’s a safe and fun way to stay connected.”

The new feature will be launched as part of a partnership with It’s On Us, a non-profit dedicated to combatting sexual assault through education programs and campus awareness. The app will now include a PSA from It’s On Us encouraging the community to look out for one another.