Snapchat is introducing a new live location-sharing feature that will allow users to share their real-time whereabouts with select friends for different periods of time on the app.
Snapchat has allowed users to share their location on Snap Map for several years, though the feature has only ever updated a user’s location when they have opened the Snapchat app. The latest update will let a selection of friends have access to a user’s real-time location for a set amount of time, regardless of whether or not they are using Snapchat. The feature functions similarly to the Find My app on iOS, which allows users to share their precise location with others for specific amounts of time or indefinitely.
The live location feature can be enabled for anywhere between 15 minutes and several hours among individual users, and it is only be available between mutual friends. Snapchat says that users can pause their location-sharing services without notifying other users in order to avoid any safety issues.
Users can enable the feature by clicking on a friend’s profile and choosing the duration for which they would like to share their location. The live location-sharing status will then become visible in the chat with that friend.
Snapchat has partnered with It’s On Us, a national nonprofit organization that tackles campus sexual assault, for this latest feature. The company says the optional setting could help people “stay safe” and can be used as a short-term buddy system while friends are traveling alone. Additionally, Snapchat will alert users with an in-app message containing information regarding bystander awareness.
Elsewhere in tech, YouTube is considering disabling links to videos that spread misinformation.
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