On Wednesday, Snapchat announced that the monthly number of active Snap Map users has surpassed 400 million, marking a new milestone for one of the app’s core features.
Launched in 2017, Snap Map was originally a way for users to see the location of their friends and view public snaps from around the world. Over time, the feature has evolved to offer users ways to discover local hotspots and find things to do.
The success of Snap Map is important to Snapchat because it is an important part of the social network and gives it a competitive advantage over competitors such as Instagram and TikTok, which do not offer real-time social discovery in the way that Snap Map does.
Instagram is aware of this, as the Meta-owned social network is working on a “Friends Map” that will allow users to see the location of their friends in real time.
“Snap Map is one of the most used mobile maps in the world, and we’re excited to see our community continue to grow,” said Ceci Murkogiannis, VP of Product at Snap, in an interview with TechCrunch. “Snap Maps helps hundreds of millions of people connect with friends and favorite places and discover what’s happening around them, making the world more connected every day.”
This news comes as Snapchat has been updating its Snap Map over the years, adding new features. Last year, the company launched the “Stepping Stones” feature, which allows you to see what part of the world you have explored and track where you have traveled.
In addition, Snapchat launched the Promoted Places feature on Snap Map so that users can discover new places. For brands, Promoted Places offers the opportunity to advertise and showcase all their locations on Snap Map.
