Does Snapchat Location Turn OFF When Phone Dies?

Asides from keeping family and friends in the loop, there are many reasons to share your location. You may share it via Google maps, iMessage, Snapchat, or any other medium. Nowadays, people all over the world use the Snap map to remain in touch with one another, and most of these users wonder if their Snapchat location turns off when their phone dies.

So, does Snapchat location turn off when phone dies? This article will discuss what happens with your Snapchat location when your phone dies. We will also discuss how to enable and disable Snapchat location for those who are not particularly fond of the Snap map feature.

Does Snapchat Location Turn OFF When Phone Dies?

Yes, your Snapchat location turns off when your phone dies. However, your Snap map will remain active until after 8 hours of inactivity, displaying your last known location instead of your real-time location. Once your phone is charged and turned on, Snapchat will recognize you as active as soon as you open the app, your Snapchat real-time location will be turned back on, and your Bitmoji will reappear. You should note that Snapchat will also recognize you as active if you sign in to your account on another device.

As aforementioned, the Snap map allows users to keep in touch by displaying their real-time location represented by their bitmojis. Users can also view each other’s snaps and stories from within the Snap map. Additionally, the bitmojis displayed on the Snap map can indicate when someone is listening to music or asleep (inactive during nighttime).

These activities/statuses are often demonstrated with music notes or z’s next to their bitmoji. A user’s bitmoji can also display other activities/statuses, i.e., drinking, swimming, or playing a sport. However, these statuses are not automatic and must be set by the user. It is important to note that a set status only lasts as long as a user is in their current location and disappears as soon as they move.

You should also note that you can choose not to share your location if you don’t want to. Snapchat offers different modes for this purpose. For example, you can either be in ‘ghost mode’, where your location is not shared with anyone, ‘my friends’ mode, where you share only with those on your friend list, and ‘select friend’ mode, where you can choose which friend to share with.

Read also: Is Snapchat 100% Private?

Do You Disappear From Snapchat Map After Inactivity?

Yes, your bitmoji disappears from the Snap map after 8 hours of inactivity, but before then, it displays your last known location. It could also display z’s next to your bitmoji if you’re inactive during nighttime.

Snapchat could recognize you as inactive when your phone dies/is turned off, when you uninstall the app/aren’t logged in to the app, have a poor connection, aren’t using the app, or are on ghost mode. As soon as Snapchat recognizes that you are active again, you will reappear on the Snap map.

Why Does Snapchat Location Disappear Sometimes?

If a friend’s Snapchat location disappears, it means they have been inactive for over 8 hours. A Snapchat user is said to be inactive when;

1. Their phone is dead/turned off
2. They are not using the app
3. They have a poor connection
4. They are in ghost mode
5. They are not logged in to the app/have deleted their account
6. They have deleted/uninstalled the app
7. They have blocked you from seeing their location
8. Snapchat has a bug or is outdated

However, suppose the Snapchat location of someone you have friended disappears. In that case, it could mean that the person has blocked you from seeing their location or restricted those who can see their location to friends only.

Reasons Why Your Friend Disappeared From Snapchat Map

Some of the reasons why your Snapchat friends disappear from the Snap map include the following;

1. Their phone is dead/turned off
2. They are not using the app
3. They are in ghost mode
4. They have a poor connection
5. They are not logged in to the app/have deleted their account
6. They have deleted/uninstalled the app
7. They have blocked you from seeing their location
8. Snapchat has a bug or is outdated
9. They have turned off Snap Map

Read also: Why Am I Not Getting Snapchat Notifications on Android and iPhone?

Why Your Snap Map Is Not Showing?

If your snap map is not showing, it could result from disabled location services, Snapchat bugs/glitches, poor internet connection, or an outdated Snapchat version.

Here are some fixes to try;

Update

Outdated apps are more prone to bugs and malfunction, so updating an app, you are facing an issue with is one of the best first steps to take.

To update Snapchat on Android/iPhone, open the Google Play Store/App Store app and search for Snapchat. Then, click the Update button next to it.

If the Snapchat app is already updated, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling it to correct or fix the issue.

To do this on Android/iPhone, long press on the Snapchat app icon and select the Uninstall/Remove/Delete option. Next, go to the Google Play Store/App Store app, search for Snapchat and tap the Install button to reinstall it.

Location Access

As earlier stated, the configuration of the location settings on your device could be the reason why your snap map is not showing. For instance, if you have not enabled location sharing on Snapchat, your snap map might not show.

To enable location sharing on your Snapchat;

1. Go to the Snapchat app
2. Click on your profile in the top left corner
3. Tap the settings icon in the top right corner
4. Scroll down to the Additional Services section and tap Manage > Permissions > Location > Allow
5. Afterward, you will have to allow Snapchat to use your phone’s location – you might be redirected to your phone’s settings to grant the permission, or for iPhone users, you may only need to select the While using the app option from a pop-up menu
6. Once this is done, you can reopen Snapchat to see if the map now works

Usually, when your location turns off, or you are in ghost mode, you should be able to see other people on your snap map, but they won’t be able to see you on theirs. However, sometimes the snap map won’t show, so you might need to turn off ghost mode if you have it on.

To do this, go to Snapchat and tap the snap map icon in the lower left corner. Then, tap the settings icon in the top right corner to access the snap map settings. Finally, toggle off Ghost mode and reopen Snapchat to see if it’s fixed.

Clear Cache

Another fix to try when your snap map does not show is clearing the Snapchat cache. To do this, open Snapchat and tap on your profile. Then, tap the settings icon at the top right corner, scroll down to the Account Actions section and click on Clear cache. Finally, tap the Clear button to confirm and reopen the app to see if it works.

Here are some other troubleshooting steps to try;

1. Close and reopen Snapchat
2. Restart your phone
3. Check DownDetector to see if Snapchat is down
4. Stop using VPN
5. Update your phone
6. Check your internet connection

How To Enable And Disable Location For Snapchat

To enable location for Snapchat;

1. Go to the Snapchat app
2. Click on your profile in the top left corner
3. Tap the settings icon in the top right corner
4. Scroll down to the Additional Services section and tap Manage > Permissions > Location > Allow
5. Afterward, you will have to allow Snapchat to use your phone’s location – you might be redirected to your phone’s settings to grant the permission, or for iPhone users, you may only need to select the While using the app option from a pop-up
6. Reopen the app once this is done

To disable location on Snapchat, you can either choose to disable it from Snapchat’s settings, restrict Snapchat from having access to your location from the phone’s settings, or enable any of the privacy modes.

To disable location on Snapchat via phone settings;

1. On iPhone;
   1. Go to Settings
   1. Scroll down to find Snapchat, tap it, and click Location
   1. Select Never (select While using the app to enable again)
2. On Android;
   1. Press and hold on the Snapchat app
   1. Select the i button at the top of the pop-up menu
   1. Click on Permissions > Location > Deny (select Allow to enable again)

To disable location via Snapchat settings;

1. Go to the Snapchat app
2. Click on your profile in the top left corner
3. Tap the settings icon in the top right corner
4. Scroll down to the Additional Services section and tap Manage > Permissions > Location > Deny

To enable a privacy mode or configure your Snapchat privacy settings;

1. Go to Snapchat
2. Tap the snap map icon in the lower left corner
3. Then, tap the settings icon in the top right corner to access the snap map settings
4. Here, you can toggle on or off Ghost mode – this is the setting that stops everyone from seeing your location
5. If you toggle off ghost mode, you should be able to choose any of the other modes like;
   1. My Friends – to allow only those you have added to view your location (this does not include those who have added you, but you have not added back)
   1. My Friends Except – to allow those you have added to your Snapchat except some
   1. Only These Friends – to allow a selected few of those you have added to your Snapchat

Read also: How Often Do Snap Scores Update?

Conclusion

After discussing the answer to the popular question, ‘does Snapchat location turn off when phone dies?’ we can see that the accuracy and real-time-ness of your Snapchat location depends on your phone being on and connected to the internet with the Snapchat app open/in use. So, while your location will turn off when your phone dies, your snap map displays your last known location.

This Snapchat feature can be either useful or invasive, depending on the user and situation.

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