Snapchat allows users to share their live location using the Snap Map feature. You can choose who to share your location with and when you do, your friend can see a Bitmoji representing your current location in real-time, if online, or the last known location, if offline.
The location feature is a good way of keeping a tab on someone, but what happens when their phone battery dies?
The interesting thing about Snapchat is that it understands that you can’t stay active every time. Your phone battery could drain out, or you could get held up with other activities. In that case, your Snapchat location turns off when your phone dies, but your Snap Map location remains active, and even though not real-time, it will display your last known location for the next 8 hours.
Do you want to know how the location feature works on Snapchat? Or what happens when your phone battery dies? This guide covers all that, including how to share your location on Snapchat and the circumstances when your Snapchat location turns off. Enough talking. Let’s get started!
What is the Location Feature on Snapchat?
Snapchat is an excellent platform for keeping a tab on your friend’s location. It could be your daughter or partner, who shared their location with you as a way to know where they are at each time. On the bright side, it can give you a sense of security knowing where your loved one is in real time.
Snapchat uses the Snap Map feature where anyone you shared your location with can see a Bitmoji on your map, displaying your location. Besides, you can view your friend’s snaps and stories on the map directly.
If you don’t want everyone to know your exact location, don’t worry. Snap Map offers privacy settings you can tweak and use the one that best favors you. Take a look.
- Ghost Mode: just as the name sounds, ghost mode, when enabled, hides your location on the Snap Map from everyone. However, if someone shares their location with you, it’s possible to see their Bitmoji, but they can’t see yours.
- My Friends: if you enable this option, anyone you are friends with on Snapchat can locate you on the Snap Map.
- Select Friend: Not all your Snapchat friends should know your location. In that case, you can select which friend you wish to share your location with. Once selected, the rest won’t view your Bitmoji on Snap Map.
Your Snap Map will keep updating your real-time location when online, provided you’ve been allowed access to your phone’s location.
Does Snapchat Location Turn Off When Phone Dies?
Snapchat relies on your activities on the app to transmit and display your live location on the Snap Map. When your phone’s battery dies, it renders you inactive. Your Snapchat Location automatically turns off as it depends on your phone’s location to know your exact location.
However, your Bitmoji on the Snap Map doesn’t automatically disappear. Here’s the kicker; yes, your Snapchat location turns off, meaning Snapchat can’t update your location in real time.
Nonetheless, your Snap Map will display your last known location for the next 8 hours. If, after 8 hours, Snapchat has not recorded any activity on your phone, that’s when the Bitmoji disappears.
So, anyone trying to locate you on Snap Map will see your location, but it won’t be real-time.
That way, your loved one can still track where you are based on your last location, provided they don’t try to locate you 8 hours since your battery died. Snapchat believes 8 hours give you the needed room to have recharged your phone.
When Does Location Turn Off on Snapchat?
The obvious situation is when you set the ghost mode on your privacy setting. Ghost mode essentially makes your Bitmoji disappear, and you become invisible. Also, if you become inactive for the past 8 hours, your Bitmoji disappears.
What if I am sleeping? Snapchat knows when it is sleep hour based on the current time in your timezone. In that case, Snapchat will display your Bitmoji, suggesting you are asleep. However, if you remain offline for a long, Snapchat will realize that you are past the sleep hour, and this inactivity will make your location disappear on the Snap Map.
Location services are essential for Snapchat to show your real-time location. If you’ve not granted Snapchat permission to access your location, your location on Snap Map will disappear.
Also, if someone deletes the Snapchat app on their phone, their Snap Map location will disappear as they will be inactive for over 8 hours.
If you want to stay active on Snap Map without necessarily staying on the app, the trick is to hop into Snapchat every few hours or at least twice within 8 hours. That way, your Bitmoji won’t disappear.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s location feature can be an excellent tool for keeping a tab on the location of your loved ones.
However, not everyone loves to broadcast their location; in that case, they can use the ghost mode.
This guide answered the question, does Snapchat location turn off when the phone dies? We’ve also seen the various circumstances when your location turns off on Snapchat.
Frequently Asked Questions
The obvious meaning is that the person blocked their location from you. It could be they are using ghost mode or have not selected you as a friend they want to share their location with. Alternatively, they could have been inactive for the past 8 hours, and their Bitmoji has disappeared.
If a person becomes inactive on Snapchat for the past 8 hours, their Bitmoji will disappear on Snap Map. If they return after some time, you will note their Bitmoji is reappearing. Also, if they keep enabling and disabling the ghost mode, their Bitmoji will keep appearing and vanishing.
