Snapchat is helping you do more with Snap Map, like keeping up with your friends and favorite celebrities, and looking back on your past snaps for a nostalgic moment.
The social media company has added "Layers" to your Snap Map experience, with the launch of two features aimed at making Snap Map more interactive. Keep reading to find out what these are and how to use them.
Snapchat Adds Memories and Explore Features to Snap Map
Snapchat has added Layers, a new feature that adds dimension to your Snap Map experience, with Memories and Explore being the first two Layers launched.
Memories helps you revisit old memories by checking out snaps you've taken from particular places in the past, which appear as pictures on the map. Memories are private, meaning only you can view them.
Explore helps you keep up with what other users are getting up to—be it your friends, celebrities, or Snapchatters around the world. You can tap on highlighted regions to see public photos and videos submitted by Snapchat users anywhere in the world.
Snapchat users show up as Bitmoji on the map, which Snapchat refers to as "Actionmoji" in this new maps feature. Actionmoji appear on Snap Map if you choose to share your location. You can choose to share your location with all your friends, specific friends, or no one at all (aka Ghost Mode).
The two Layers are designed to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for, such as interesting places to visit, where your favorite singer is performing, or what your friends are doing.
How to Use Snapchat Memories and Explore Features
Start using the Memories and Explore features to see what you and other Snapchatters have been up to. Just follow the steps below to get started.
To access Layers:
- Launch the Snapchat app on your device.
- Tap the Snap Map icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- Tap the Layers menu in the upper-right corner of the map, just under the Settings icon.
- You can toggle between the two Layers to access what you're looking for by tapping on the menu.
How to Use Snapchat Explore
When you first tap the Snap Map icon, you will land on Explore where you can see where other users have taken snaps from.
You can zoom in and out or navigate the map to check out other areas. When you land on an area, tap its name at the top of the screen to view snaps that other users took while there.
Tap Places at the bottom of the screen to view popular spots and places in and around your area, as well as places you've favorited and visited.
You can tap Friends to see what your friends have been up to, including their Recent Moves, provided they've chosen to share their location.
You can also scroll down and scroll through World updates where you can tap each location or event to see snaps from users who visited those locations or attended those events listed.
How to Use Snapchat Memories
By toggling to Memories, you will find snaps you've taken in the past. Simply tap your photo on the map to view the snap you posted in that area.
Zoom out of the map to view any snaps you've taken in other areas.
Snap Map Is Creating a Global Community
Both the Explore and Memories Layers are great additions to Snap Map, but the Explore Layer in particular connects you to users across the globe, all within one map, thereby creating more of a virtual global community.
This is the beauty of social media—its ability to make the world seem smaller than it is by bringing everything into the palm of your hand.