What is Live Location on Snapchat and how do you use it?

Snapchat introduced its Live Location feature in 2022 which allowed users to share their location with their friends on the app. But how do you actually use it?

Multimedia instant messaging app Snapchat is known for its various innovative features that keep its millions of users constantly entertained and connected.

Among these is the Live Location sharing option, which is designed to enhance communication, safety, and convenience for people on the platform.

The feature was released in 2022 as part of Snapchat’s partnership with It’s On Us, an American government initiative for sexual assault education and prevention on US university campuses. Here’s everything you need to know about how it works.

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What does Live Location mean on Snapchat?

Snapchat’s Live Location sharing feature allows you to share your exact location with close friends and family in real time. It serves as a digital beacon, allowing specific contacts to monitor your movements until you arrive at your destination or until you deem it safe to stop sharing.

By opting to share your live location, you essentially allow the recipient to see your location on their Snap Map, offering them a live tracking tool. It’s akin to someone virtually accompanying you on your journey.

Snapchat allows you to choose between 15 minutes, one hour, or eight hours of location sharing. The feature is turned off by default and there’s no option to share your live location with all your friends.

How to use Live Location on Snapchat

To enable live location sharing, you’ll have to go to your friend’s profile and choose how long you’d like to share your whereabouts with them.

You can then keep tabs on the status of the location sharing in the chat window with that friend.

UNSPLASH: May Gauthier

Does Live Location mean they are active on Snapchat?

When you see ‘Live’ or ‘Here just now,’ it indicates that the contact is actively using Snapchat. In this case, the location is accurate and updates in real-time.

However, if Snap Map shows ‘Last seen here xxx minutes ago’ or ‘Here xxx minutes ago,’ the live location is outdated. In this scenario, you can only see the last active location where the contact used Snapchat unless they reopen the app.

How often does Live Location update?

According to its support page, Snapchat will only update users’ locations when the app is open. It does not refresh a user’s location at any other time, even if running in the background – unless the user explicitly enables a feature that allows for location updates.

What does a flashing green mean on Live Location?

The flashing green pulse shows that you’re viewing someone’s location in real-time. It’s a useful feature for tracking where someone is and where they’re headed.

If you want to learn more about how to use Snapchat, check out some of our other guides including how to remove someone from your best friends list and how to make a public profile on Snapchat.