Snapchat just revealed a new feature that lets users track their travels and know how much of the world they’ve explored.
According to a Snapchat statement made to TechCrunch on Monday, “Footsteps” is being rolled out to iOS users this week, which was previously exclusive to Snapchat+ subscribers. The feature will be available to Android users soon.
Located in Snap Map, Footsteps uses the user’s location data to create a timeline of their adventures, including how many countries they’ve visited and how much of the area they’ve toured.
With it, users can track travels and share them with friends, even adding a custom sticker to flaunt their latest adventures.
In launching Footsteps, Snapchat adds a new dimension to its user experience (UX).
UX design is crucial to ensuring user satisfaction and engagement, minimizing uninstalls.
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For first-time Footsteps users, Snapchat will populate the feature based on the saved Snaps in Memories, allowing users to still include previous trips.
Footsteps will then show the information in easily digestible percentages, with its accuracy depending on app usage.
For instance, Footsteps will tell the user that they’ve only discovered 5% of Paris or that they’ve seen only 30.4% of their city.
As a result, users can express more excitement over their travels and connect more deeply with the world, aligning with the app’s mission to empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.
However, Footsteps only works when Ghost Mode is turned off, as this setting hides the user’s location on the map.
Snapchat also assures that only the user can access Footsteps data, with the option to turn it off in the app settings or delete the data by selecting “Clear Footsteps History.”
By releasing this new feature, Snapchat seeks to differentiate itself from its competitors, Instagram and TikTok.
At the same time, it aims to elevate user experience by giving users something new to keep coming back to.
Early this year, Snapchat debuted its Sponsored AR filters, helping advertisers further engage with users.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
