snapchat maps

Image via UhSoul/Twitter

New Snapchat map feature is exposing cheaters left and right

Will it be the death knell for cheaters?

 

Sarah Jasmine Montgomery

Internet Culture

Posted on Jun 26, 2017   Updated on May 23, 2021, 1:46 am CDT

Snapchat has turned everyday users into private detectives by allowing us to view our friends’ locations on a new Snapchat map feature, accessible through the app. You don’t have to be Sherlock to see what your friends or lovers are doing without you, thanks to the opt-in update that came out last Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/MADBLACKTHOT/status/879025646546161664

Now, when you open Snapchat and pinch the Stories screen (yes, pinch) a map will appear with bitmoji versions of all your friends.

 

Users, experts, and parents have shared concerns over the safety of the new update. Even though the update is optional, and the location is only shared with mutual friends (friends who follow one another), some may not realize that their location is shared every time they open the app. Once within the map, users can check the location of a friend by clicking on their bitmoji. When clicking on someone’s specific location, the app will alert the user that you checked their location.

For other users, they’re less concerned about safety and more concerned about maintaining their covert infidelity. On Snapchat, often called the “cheaters” app, cheaters can be exposed easier than ever by checking their location. 

https://twitter.com/UhSoul/status/878467109252104192

https://twitter.com/Morgan8Johnston/status/877857642575609856

But there’s a lot more to be worried about than cheating. You can now have your bad eating habits exposed.

Or find out that your friends don’t want to hang out with you. 

Or have your chronic lateness exposed. 

If you’re worried about safety or about being outed to your significant other (just own up to it man), you can choose to share your location with only a select number of friends or turn the feature off altogether by switching to “Ghost Mode.”

Screenshot by Sarah Montgomery

Snapchat might have upset some with this latest update, but we know there are a few messy users out there that probably love the feature. Gossip Girl 2.0?

Until next time. Xoxo. 

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*First Published: Jun 26, 2017, 4:54 pm CDT