Snapchat is quietly rolling out a new “Footprints” feature to all iOS users this week, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday. This new feature, previously only available to Snapchat+ subscribers, lets you see how much of the world you've explored and track where you've traveled using Snap Map.
When you use Footsteps for the first time, your first steps are calculated based on your memory snaps. This means your past trips will still count. Snapchat then no longer uses your memory to add to your footprints, but instead uses your location data to track your travels.
Snapchat can only enter footprints if you don't turn on ghost mode. Ghost mode is a setting that prevents Snapchat from showing your location to your friends.
The new feature comes as Snapchat continues to compete with Instagram and TikTok. By enhancing its Snap Map product, the company is reinforcing one of its key differences from competitors that don't offer similar features (Instagram admits it is developing a “Friends Map” feature). situation may change).
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With this new feature, Snap Maps will tell you how many countries you've traveled to and how much territory you've explored. For example, the app might say you've explored 30.4% of a city. Or if you traveled to a new country in the summer, the app might tell you that you've explored 5% of Paris.
These percentages are based on the different locations where you took and saved your snaps. Note that the percentage is based on saved memories, so it's only accurate if you're an avid user of the app and save snaps often.
Now, Maps will use your location data to display your actual footprints on the map based on where you're traveling.
Your footprints are only visible to you, and you can turn off the feature or clear your footprint data by going to your profile and tapping the Settings button. Next, you need to scroll down to the “Account Actions” section and tap on “Map”. Then turn off footsteps by toggling “Save new footprints as map location updates” to off. To clear your footprint data, tap “Clear footprint history”.
This feature is similar to Google Maps' Timeline feature, which tracks your travels and places you've visited based on your location history.
Snapchat sees this new feature as a way to track your travels and share your adventures with friends with custom stickers that showcase your travels.
A company spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company plans to roll out this feature to Android users soon.