Snapchat has one of the finest people who keep on banging their heads for finding something new and interesting. Snapchat 3D filters, Snapchat Real World 3D lenses, Stories, Snapchat emojis, are few of the features that make the Snapchat distinct from any other Social Media app. With the following trend of Stories, Facebook & Instagram also introduces the Stories which are not even close to the Snapchat Stories. Recently, Snapchat came up with the new feature called as Snap Map. Using Snap Map, you can see your friend's location on an interactive map. Along with the location of your friends, you can also see the event happening in the world like Sports events, Concerts, special places, festival celebrations etc.
The Snap Map feature is really awesome as it is convenient to get the real time location of your friend on an interactive map but this feature can be a nightmare for some people as your location is also open. If someone is stalking you then it can be a problem for you. For security point of view, this is not that cool feature. But you don't need to be worried. Snapchat developers provide you a better way to not get flashed on that interactive map. Here is how you can disable the snap map feature in Snapchat.
To disable the Snap Map you need to go to the Snap Map Settings. To access the Snap Map settings, pinch on the camera screen to see the snap map and people around you. Here you can see the people around you and you can navigate simply by moving your finger around just like Google Maps.
On the Snap Map screen, there is Settings option on the top right corner. Just tap on that. Here you would get a couple of options and one of them is Ghost Mode. If you want to get invisible on the snap map, you can select the Ghost Mode. Remember, if you select Ghost Mode on Snap Map, you would disappear from the Snap Map and no one can see your location.
Who Can see Your location?
There is another option which I prefer where you can select the people with whom you wanted to share your location. By default, your all friends can see your location but actually, not everyone in your Snapchat friend list is a friend. So, you can select the people from your friend list with whom you wanted to share your location on the Snap Map.
To set the preferences, all you need is to select the "Select Friends" option. Select the people with whom you wanted to share your real-time location. After selecting them, just tap on Done. Now, only the selected people can see your location.
I would not suggest you to modify the snapchat's core location settings but if you need a strict privacy for your location, you can tune your location settings. To modify the location settings of the Snapchat, you need to go to the Android Phone's Settings > Apps > Snapchat > Permissions > Turned off the Location.
If you are an iPhone user, you can turn off the Snapchat location by going to Settings > Snapchat > Location > Never.
But keep in mind, after turning off the location permission, you would not able to access the Geo Filters that changes with your location. That is the reason why I would not suggest you to turn off the location permission.
It is true that every coin has two faces and you have to deal with both of them. Snap Map feature is a new and interesting update in Snapchat but for security concerns, this is not safe at all. Your location is open to the people in your friend list which are obviously not known in the real world and it is not a wise move to share anything with the unknown person when your security is at stake. But, thanks to Snapchat who never compromises with the security of their users.
Parents should also guide their kids about the privacy and security concerns when using such kind of apps which are highly sensitive. If you are a parent of a Snapchat user kid, you should read the BBC Report about Snap Map.
Ghost Mode works pretty good and it will make you disappear from the Snap Map but if you still need an absolute privacy, you can modify the location permission from phone's settings anytime.
So, this is how you can disable your location on Snap Map. This new feature of Snapchat is indeed pretty cool when used in a good deed but it can be hazardous to you if someone deliberately wants to harm you in any way. Do you like the Snap Map feature of Snapchat? Let me know in the Comment section below. And, do not forget to share it with your friends on social media.