Snapchat launches real-time location sharing feature

(CNN) — Snapchat on Friday announced a feature similar to a buddy system that allows users to share their real-time location with their friends for a period of time.

The security feature is being rolled out as more people return to school campuses, travel, date and get back to what they did before the pandemic, the company said. The feature, similar to Apple’s Find My app, allows users to share their real-time location with a friend for 15 minutes, one hour or up to eight hours.

snapchat partnered with It’s On Usa nonprofit organization founded in 2014 to combat sexual assault on campus, to create the feature.

Since 2017, Snapchat has allowed users to share their locations with friends on its Snap Map feature, which updates a location only when the user has the app open. The company said that 250 million users use Snap Map every month.

Last May, Snapchat noted that it had reached 500 million monthly active users. According to a survey conducted by the company, 78% of its US app users would not hesitate to share their locations on Snap Map, with most doing so as a safe way to connect with others.

Like Snap Map, the new feature will remain off by default. Snapchatters can turn on their location “in an instant,” according to the company, but only with specific friends. To reduce the risk of harassment, the company has limited the amount of time and with whom Snapchatters can share their instant location.

Snapchatters can start using the feature by going to a friend’s profile and tapping on the new live sharing option. The app offers a pop-up notice warning users that the feature should be shared only with trusted friends and family.

The company also announced this week that Snapchatters users will be able to change their usernames starting in late February, a feature that was previously unavailable in the United States.