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Snapchat's New Snap Map Lets You Share Your Location With Friends (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the features-fest dept.

Snapchat is expanding into the world of mapping. A new feature announced on Wednesday called Snap Maps will let the app's 166 million users share their locations with each other, according to a company blog post. From a report: From the default camera view, you pinch with two fingers to zoom out and see the map. Friends who have opted into sharing their location through Snap Map (it's off by default) will appear in Bitmoji form. You can share with select friends, all friends, or with no one if you pick "Ghost Mode." Snapchat is very quick to note that your location is only updated when you open the app -- so there shouldn't be any background tracking to worry about.

26 comments

  1. They should let you share with anyone by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    They could if they wished become the new Tinder, simply by letting you share your location and a snap-story (or whatever they call it) with everyone nearby.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:They should let you share with anyone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They should let you share with anyone... They could if they wished become the new Tinder...

      Are you suggesting that the most important factor in deciding whether or not to hook up with somebody is their immediate proximity?

    2. Re: They should let you share with anyone by KGIII · · Score: 1

      Well, being closer does make it easier.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    3. Re:They should let you share with anyone by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

      Are you suggesting that the most important factor in deciding whether or not to hook up with somebody is their immediate proximity?

      Well, if you can't be with the one you love...

  2. Karnak the Magnificent by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

    will now predict the headlines of six months from now: "Bug in Snapchat exposes users' positions to hackers."

    1. Re:Karnak the Magnificent by sycodon · · Score: 1

      Second Prediction: Some stupid criminal will snapchat himself doing some stupid criminal thing, complete with time and location. Prosecution will be a slam dunk.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    2. Re:Karnak the Magnificent by thomn8r · · Score: 1

      Prosecution will be a slam dunk

      You could have said "Prosecution will be a Snap..."

    3. Re:Karnak the Magnificent by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Third prediction: That will happen & it'll be reported here and some cretin will go "But 5th amendment" or "entrapment".

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  3. Blah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    967-34-8742

  4. Instamap by ZipK · · Score: 1

    Can I do this in Facebook or Instagram yet?

  5. The Tables Have Turned by cunina · · Score: 1

    For once, Snapchat is copying a "feature" from Facebook, instead of the other way around.

  6. Off by default by fuzzyf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Off by default is kind of impressive these days.

    Letting users opt in if they want a new feature should be the standard, not the exception.

    Well done Snapchat!

    1. Re:Off by default by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We've arrived in a world where the bar is so low some people are bound to trip over it eventually.

  7. Allows you or forces you...? by evolutionary · · Score: 1

    Of course SnapChat has your location whether you "share" it or not.

    --
    "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
    1. Re: Allows you or forces you...? by Laser_iCE · · Score: 1

      of course they have your location, the little location icon in my iOS task bar tells me that. but my snapchat friends list does not.

    2. Re: Allows you or forces you...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Simple hint: turn off location service for Snapchat.

      iOS actually BLOCKS apps from accessing sensitive processes if you don't want them to have access. It does not fake the sandboxing like other mobile OSs

    3. Re:Allows you or forces you...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember that if you have an iPhone or any kind of modern Android OS that it is possible to deny permissions to applications, and that includes location. I'm neither narcissistic enough nor stupid enough to use social media, but I audit every single application's permissions on my phone.

      Android doesn't exactly make it obvious though. You have to let the app install with the million privacy invading permissions it wants and then go into Application Manager and turn them all off for each application. It would be better if you could do that at install time, but Google being Google they depend on the lazy and uninformed to "allow" them to collect all that data and share it with everybody.

  8. looks like MEAT is BACK on the menu, BOYS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    BABY BABY
    RUTH!

  9. That sounds intrusive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remind me to remove Snap

  10. On behalf of the NSA and advertisers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thank you Snapchat! The more information we know about everybody the more money we can make, spy on people, and turn more of this World into a surveillance state.

  11. "friends" by WolfgangVL · · Score: 1

    Bully! The English language sure is evolving fast.

    Aint that just swell?

    All my "friends" and I are going to have a gay old time, what with this sharing our locations with each other and such.

    --
    You are being ripped off every second of every day, so that advertisers can help rip you off even more tomorrow.
  12. Oh snap... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Snapchat is the most desperate product I've seen in a long time.

    1. Re:Oh snap... by vux984 · · Score: 1

      Snapchat is the most desperate product I've seen in a long time.

      oh, i dunno about that.

      If snapchat is the 'most' desperate product... what adjective do you use for the products trying to copycat it??

      Both whatsapp (facebook) and skype (microsoft) seem to be copying their every move lately. Surely that's even more desperate.

  13. lulztazticz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what could possibly go wrong. good grief, why would anyone want this?

  14. Call me cynical by eneville · · Score: 1

    When a company says they're not tracking, likely they are. What was their business model again?

    --
    Why UNIX?