Snapchat is quietly rolling out a brand new “Footsteps” function to all iOS customers this week, the corporate confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday. The brand new function, which was beforehand solely accessible to Snapchat+ subscribers, makes use of Snap Map to allow you to see how a lot of the world you’ve explored and monitor the place you’ve traveled to.
The primary time you employ Footsteps, your first steps will likely be primarily based on Snaps in your Recollections, which signifies that your previous journeys nonetheless depend. After that, Snapchat received’t use any extra Recollections so as to add to your Footsteps, and can as a substitute monitor your travels utilizing location information.
Snapchat can solely populate your Footsteps should you don’t have Ghost Mode on, which is a setting that stops Snapchat from exhibiting your location to your folks.
The brand new function comes as Snapchat continues to compete with Instagram and TikTok. By constructing out its Snap Map product, the corporate is strengthening one among its key variations from its opponents, each of which don’t provide an identical function (which may change, as Instagram has confirmed it’s growing a “Friends Map” function).
With this new function, Snap Map will inform you what number of international locations you’ve gotten traveled to, and the way a lot of an space you’ve gotten explored. As an illustration, the app would possibly show that you’ve got explored 30.4% of your metropolis. Or, should you traveled to a brand new nation over the summer season, the app would possibly inform you that you just explored 5% of Paris.
These percentages are primarily based on the completely different locations the place you took and saved Snaps. It’s price noting that the chances will solely be correct should you’re an avid person of the app and infrequently save Snaps as a result of they’re primarily based in your saved Recollections.
Going ahead, the Map will use location information to indicate you precise Footsteps on the Map primarily based on the place you journey to.
Your Footsteps are solely seen to you, and you’ll flip the function off or clear your Footsteps information by going into your Profile and tapping the “Settings” button. Subsequent, you might want to scroll all the way down to the “Account Actions” part and faucet “Map.” Then, toggle off “Save new Footsteps as my location updates on the map” to show off Footsteps. To clear your Footsteps information, faucet “Clear Footsteps History.”
The function is considerably much like Google Maps’ “Timeline” function that tracks journeys you’ve taken and locations you’ve been primarily based in your Location Historical past.
Snapchat sees the brand new function as a option to monitor your travels and in addition share your adventures with your folks with a customized sticker that showcases your travels.
A spokesperson for the corporate informed TechCrunch that the corporate plans to roll out the function to Android customers quickly.
