How to Share Location on Snapchat: Friends, Pins and Ghost Mode

Sharing your location can be handy when you're meeting friends, heading to a festival or checking someone has got home safely. It's also something I'd want to control carefully, whether you're a parent, a teenager or a small-business owner whose personal account is mixed up with work contacts. Snapchat's help pages explain the settings, so I've followed those and kept to what they say.

Snapchat changes its menus fairly often, so where your screen differs, look for the same wording rather than the same position.

Sharing your location on Snapchat with all your friends

Snapchat's help has two routes. The quickest starts on the Map:

1. Open the Snapchat Map.
2. Tap the gear icon at the top of the Map screen.
3. Tap My Friends.

Or go through Settings:

1. Open My Account and tap the gear icon.
2. Scroll to My Privacy & Data and find the Who Can See section.
3. Tap See My Location and choose My Friends.

Two details from the help article are worth knowing. The My Friends option includes friends you add in the future, so a new contact will be able to see you without you changing anything. And it doesn't include people who've added you but whom you haven't added back.

Sharing your Snapchat location with only some friends

If you'd rather not share with everyone, Snapchat gives you two narrower options, using the same Map gear icon or the See My Location screen:

• My Friends, Except... shares with all your friends apart from the ones you leave out.
• Only These Friends... shares just with the people you pick.

Snapchat's help says the friends you select aren't notified when you choose them. It also says that sharing needs the two of you to have added each other, so if a friend is missing from the list, they may not have added you back. If that's the problem, my guide on why you can't add someone on Snapchat goes through the usual causes.

Sending a Snapchat map pin instead of your live location

Sometimes you don't want a live dot following you around. You only want to tell someone where to meet. Snapchat's help on pins says to press and hold on a location on the Map to create a pin, then tap Send to share it with friends.

There's one caveat. The same article says Snap Map may temporarily show pins and addresses recently shared in Chat for up to 24 hours. So a pin isn't completely private from the Map, even though you didn't turn on location sharing.

What friends see when you share your location on Snapchat

According to Snapchat's help, only the friends you've chosen to share with can see where you're at on Snap Map. In Chat, the help article says that when a friend shares their location, you can see their position and recent actions. So if you share, expect your friends to see your position there too.

Here's the bit people forget: your location may appear in screenshots and Map Snaps that friends take. Once a friend has a screenshot, Snapchat can't take it back, so think about who you're sharing with.

How long your location stays on the Snapchat Map

This depends on your phone's permission for Snapchat. According to Snapchat's help, if the permission is set to Always, your location stays on Snap Map until you turn it off or it expires. If it's set to Only while using, your location on the map expires after 24 hours.

Snapchat's help also says it will check in from time to time to make sure you still want to share your location, and that your location isn't shared on the Map until you open it for the first time.

Hiding your Snapchat location with Ghost Mode

If you've shared and now want to disappear, Ghost Mode is the setting to use. The help article says to open the Map, tap the gear icon to reach Map Settings, then toggle on Ghost Mode and choose a timer of 3 hours, 24 hours or Until Turned Off.

• Your location is still shared with Snap, but it won't be visible to anyone else on the Map.
• Your Bitmoji shows a blue ghost sign, unless you're sharing your live location.
• Snaps you submit to Snap Map can still show up on the Map, whatever location setting you choose.

That last point matters if you post to Snap Map. Hiding your location doesn't hide a Snap you chose to submit.

If you can't share your location on Snapchat

1. Check the friend has added you back, because sharing needs you both to have added each other.
2. Open the Map once, since Snapchat says your location isn't shared until you first open it.
3. Look at your phone's location permission for Snapchat, as the Map follows it.
4. Make sure Ghost Mode isn't switched on, which hides you from everyone.
5. Update the app, because the menus change between versions.

If a friend still doesn't show, use the search on the Map or my guide on finding someone on Snapchat to check you're connected to the right account.

Staying safe when you share your Snapchat location

Share only with people you know and trust, and review the list now and then. If someone you don't want to hear from keeps contacting you, reporting someone on Snapchat is the right route, and if you ever feel in danger, contact the police. I'd also suggest parents sit down with younger users and go through the options together rather than guessing.

Snapchat location sharing at a glance

Option	What Snapchat's help says
My Friends	All friends you've added back, including future ones
My Friends, Except...	All friends apart from those you exclude
Only These Friends...	Just the friends you pick, who aren't notified
Ghost Mode	3 hours, 24 hours or until turned off
Only while using	Location expires after 24 hours
Map pin	Press and hold, then Send

Frequently asked questions

How do I share my location on Snapchat?

Open the Map, tap the gear icon at the top of the screen, and choose My Friends, My Friends, Except... or Only These Friends... You can also go to My Account, then My Privacy & Data, then See My Location.

Can I share my Snapchat location with just one person?

Yes. Snapchat's help describes Only These Friends..., where you pick specific friends and they aren't notified. The friend must have added you back.

How long does my location stay on Snap Map?

Snapchat's help says that with the Always permission your location stays until you turn it off or it expires, and with Only while using it expires after 24 hours.

How do I stop sharing my location on Snapchat?

Turn on Ghost Mode from the Map settings and pick 3 hours, 24 hours or Until Turned Off. Your location is still shared with Snap but isn't visible to anyone else on the Map.

Can I send a location on Snapchat without sharing live location?

Yes. Press and hold on a place on the Map to drop a pin, then tap Send. Snapchat says pins shared in Chat may show on the Map for up to 24 hours.

Why can't my friend see my location on Snapchat?

They may not have added you back, you may be in Ghost Mode, or you may not have opened the Map yet. Snapchat's help says sharing needs both of you to have added each other.