Snapchat is rolling out its new “Footsteps” feature to all iOS users this week after initially offering it exclusively to Snapchat+ subscribers. The company confirmed this update on Monday, explaining that the feature utilizes Snap Map to track users’ travel history and display the areas they’ve explored, as reported by TechCrunch.
Features of Snapchat’s Footsteps:
- Tracking Location History: Footsteps taps into users’ travel data, drawing from real-time location information to provide a personalized view of their movements on the map. When activated for the first time, it also pulls data from previously saved Snaps in Memories to calculate past travel activity, offering users a comprehensive look at their travel history.
- Real-time Tracking: After the initial setup, Footsteps relies on live location data to continuously update users’ travel footprints on Snap Map. This feature lets users visually track how much of the world they’ve explored over time.
- Privacy by Design: By default, the Footsteps feature is private. Only the user can view their tracked movements, ensuring privacy. Additionally, users must have Snap Map’s Ghost Mode turned off for the feature to work, but they can choose to disable tracking or clear their travel data anytime through profile settings.
- Control and Customization: Users have complete control over the data tracked by Footsteps. They can turn off tracking at any moment or delete their travel history directly from their settings, ensuring their privacy preferences are respected.
- Comparing with Competitors: Snapchat’s focus on expanding the functionality of Snap Map through Footsteps sets it apart from other major social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Neither Instagram nor TikTok currently offers a similar feature, though Instagram has revealed plans to introduce a “Friends Map” in the future.
Expanded Availability:
Snapchat confirmed that while Footsteps is being made available to iOS users this week, Android users can expect to receive the feature soon as well.
Defining Footsteps:
Snapchat’s Footsteps is a feature that leverages real-time and historical location data to help users visualize their travel history. It creates a map-based travel footprint by aggregating location data from Snaps stored in Memories and ongoing movements, allowing users to see how much of the world they’ve covered. With strong privacy controls, Footsteps is a personal tool for exploring travel activity, aimed at enhancing user engagement with Snap Map.
This addition is part of Snapchat’s broader efforts to improve Snap Map, further distinguishing it from competitors and offering users a unique way to interact with their travel experiences.