How To Add Location On Snapchat

Snapchat is one of the most popular social media apps, especially among young people. One of Snapchat‘s standout features is the ability to add your location to your snaps and stories. This allows your friends to see where you are when you post.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through everything you need to know about adding location on Snapchat.

An Overview of Snapchat

Before we dive into locations, let‘s do a quick overview of Snapchat for those new to the platform.

Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send photo and video messages called "snaps" to friends. Snaps can be viewed for a set duration of 1 to 10 seconds before they disappear from the app.

Some key Snapchat features include:

Snaps: Photo/video messages that disappear after being viewed.
Stories: Snaps that are visible to all your friends for 24 hours.
Lenses/Filters: Special effects and filters you can add to your snaps.
Chat: One-on-one or group text conversations.
Snap Map: A map showing your friends‘ locations.

Now let‘s look at how the Snap Map feature allows you to add a location to your snaps.

What is Snap Map?

Snap Map is a location-sharing feature introduced by Snapchat in 2017. It allows you to see where your friends are on a map in real-time.

When you share your location on Snap Map, your Bitmoji avatar will appear in your current location on the map for friends to see. This allows friends to see what you‘re up to and meet up if you‘re close by.

To access Snap Map, pinch the Snapchat camera screen to zoom out. This will launch the Snap Map view.

You can change your location sharing settings by going to your profile, tapping the gear icon, selecting Snap Map settings, and choosing who can view your location.

Now let‘s go over how to add a location to your individual snaps.

How to Add Location to Your Snaps

Adding a location to your snaps is a fun way to show your friends where you are. Here are the steps:

Open the Snapchat app and take a snap or video as usual.
Tap the sticker icon in the top right (it looks like a sticky note).
Select the location sticker from the top row (it has a pin icon).
Search for a location or select one from the list.
Resize and move the location sticker if needed.
Send the snap to friends!

When your friends view the snap, they‘ll see the cool location sticker showing where you are.

Let‘s break down a few tips for customizing location stickers:

Search for specific places: Like your favorite restaurant or park. Just type it in the search bar.
Show generic locations: Select neighborhoods, cities, states, or countries from the list if you don‘t want to be too specific.
Resize the sticker: Pinch to resize so it doesn‘t cover too much of your photo/video.
Reposition the sticker: Drag it around to place it where you want over your snap.

Adding location is a great way to show friends where you are without having your constant real-time location visible through Snap Map.

Next, let‘s go over how location works for Snapchat stories.

Adding Location to Your Snapchat Story

In addition to individual snaps, you can also add a location sticker to your Snapchat story. This means anyone who views your story can see where you are.

To add a location to your story:

Open Snapchat and tap your profile Bitmoji to access stories.
Take or upload a photo/video for your story.
Tap the sticker icon and select the location sticker.
Search for a location or pick one from the list.
Resize and reposition the sticker if desired.
Post it to your story!

When friends view your story, the location sticker will appear on every snap in your story to show where it‘s taking place.

The process is very similar to adding a location to individual snaps. The difference is that story snaps with locations are visible to all friends for 24 hours rather than disappearing after viewing.

Location Tags vs Location Filters

Snapchat has two ways to incorporate location into your snaps – location tags and location filters. What‘s the difference?

Location tags are stickers that show a specific place name. As we detailed above, you add these simply by selecting the location sticker and choosing a nearby place.

Location filters are special overlays with artwork unique to different locations and events around the world. When you‘re at or near an area with a special location filter, it will appear alongside the regular filters to add to your snaps.

For example, if you‘re in Times Square in New York City, you may see a fun Times Square filter to decorate your snaps with NYC imagery. These are created by Snapchat and brands rather than being basic location stickers.

Both options are great ways to showcase locations – tags with written place names or customized artistic filters.

Posting Publicly Using Our Story

In addition to posting snaps with locations just for your friends, you also have the option to contribute snaps to public crowdsourced stories called "Our Story."

Our Story allows anyone at an event or location to contribute snaps visible to all Snapchat users. To post publicly to one of these collaborative stories:

Take a snap with a location tag or cool location filter.
Select "Our Story" instead of sending it just to friends.
Snapchat will ask you to confirm submitting it.
Check back later to see if your snap was added!

Posting to Our Story allows millions of Snapchat users to get an inside look at what‘s happening at different places around the world. Just be mindful that these snaps are publicly visible.

Customizing Your Location Settings

Snapchat offers robust customization when it comes to who can see your location. You have options like only sharing with certain friends, ghost mode to hide your location completely, and more.

To change your Snap Map location settings:

Go to your profile and tap the gear icon.
Select Snap Map settings under Additional Services.
Choose from ghost mode, all friends, selected friends, or only me.

You can always change these later if you want to adjust who can view your real-time location on Snap Map.

To disable location access for Snapchat:

You can also turn off location access for Snapchat entirely in your device settings. On both iPhone and Android, go to your list of apps in settings, select Snapchat, and toggle location access off.

With location turned off, you won‘t be able to see the Snap Map, use location filters/tags, or share your location – but you can still use Snapchat normally. Toggle it back on at any time to re-enable Snapchat location features.

Customizing location settings lets you control exactly who can see your location at all times. Choose what you‘re comfortable with!

Using Location on Different Devices

One of the great things about Snapchat is that the app is fully functional across mobile devices and even web browsers for those times you‘re at your computer.

But can you still use location features when not on a mobile device? Thankfully, yes!

Here‘s how to use location stickers and filters across platforms:

Mobile app: Just follow the steps outlined earlier for sticker tags or swiping through filters based on your location.

Web browser: When logged in on snapchat.com, click the location sticker then search locations just like the mobile app to add it to snaps and stories. Location filters are not available in the web browser though.

Tablets: Adding locations works the same way as on mobile phones – just snap and tap stickers to add your location!

So whether you prefer phones, tablets, or computers, you can spice up your Snapchat posts with awesome locations.

Location and Privacy Concerns

While location can make your Snapchat content more engaging, it also presents potential privacy issues to keep in mind. Some things to consider:

Always think before sharing your real-time location on Snap Map. Never share if it presents any safety risk.
Be mindful of blurring or not adding identifiable location details if posting publicly using Our Story rather than just to your friends list.
Use Ghost Mode if you want to prevent your location being visible at any point.
Frequently review your Snap Map sharing list under settings.
Disable location access for Snapchat entirely if you want to ensure your location remains completely private.

As with all social media location features, it comes down to carefully thinking through exactly what level you feel comfortable sharing. Snapchat provides robust customization options to control how and when your location appears.

Exploring the World on Snap Maps

Even if you don‘t feel like actively sharing your own location, Snap Maps opens up an exciting way to explore the world.

Some ways to take advantage of Snap Maps for discovering and learning new things:

Drop pins around your area to uncover cool local hotspots.
Search locations like famous landmarks and see public snaps people have posted from there.
Use the millions of Snaps visible in Snap Map to take virtual tours of places you want to visit someday.
Check out Snap Map when major events are happening around the world to get an on-the-ground view.

Think of Snap Map as your portal to getting snapshots of destinations near and far without even leaving your home!

Snapping Your Location like a Pro

Adding locations is a creative way to enhance your Snapchat posts, whether just for friends or the public. Keep these pro tips in mind:

Search specific places to let friends know the exact restaurant or park you‘re at rather than just the city.
Use fitting geofilters that represent landmarks near your location to get creative.
Customize your sharing based on what level makes you comfortable, from Ghost Mode to selected friends.
Drop pins in Snap Map to discover cool new areas and hidden gems near you to check out.
Be responsible by not sharing identifying personal locations publicly or oversharing your ongoing real-time location.

Follow these expert pointers to snap locations safely while wowing your friends in the process!

Wrapping Up

I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive overview of how adding your location in Snapchat works. To recap:

Use location stickers to tag your snaps and stories with place names.
Take advantage of geofilters that unlock based on your location.
Customize Snap Map sharing if you want to show your real-time location.
Explore what‘s happening around the world via the billions of public map snaps.
Remember to be thoughtful about location sharing depending on your comfort level.

So now you‘re a pro when it comes to using Snapchat‘s awesome location features to connect with friends in a more engaging way and explore what different places have to offer. Time to get snapping those awesome locations!