Snapchat launches new Map feature to connect you with people nearby

Following speculation from last week, Snapchat has introduced a new location service: Snap Maps.

The new feature, which aims to hook you up with nearby users, essentially lets you follow where your friends are hanging out and what they’re up to.

In a way, Snap Maps is supposed to help you keep up with all the events and activities that are taking place in your your vicinity.

Check out the video below to get a better idea how the new functionality works:

The best thing about the new feature is that it is up to you to choose whether you want to share your location with friends – or keep it to yourself. Snap has added a dedicated ‘Ghost Mode’ specifically for this purpose.

Should you choose to share your location, your friends will see your custom Actionmoji appear on the new Map.

This is how you access the new feature:

To get started and view the Snap Map, simply pinch to zoom out from the Snapchat camera! The Snap Map is a new layer on top of the current Snapchat experience. The first time Snapchatters open Snapchat after updating their app, they’ll be taken through an onboarding flow outlining how to find the Map and how it works.

Snap Map is already rolling out to iOS and Android users – so you should be able see it on your phone if you update to the latest version of Snapchat.