What Do the Stars on Snap Map Mean?

Snapchat recently introduced a new feature: the Snap Map. According to the app’s official announcement, Snap Map is “a whole new way to explore the world,” allowing users to “see what's happening, find your friends, and get inspired to go on an adventure!”

The feature allows users to see where their friends are posting from in real time, so people can be up-to-date on where popular events are taking place. It also acts as a friend locator! But even users who practically live on the app are still getting to know the ins and outs of the new update and many have questions about what exactly the stars are on Snap Map. 

With its update over the summer, Snapchat added a number of new features to the app. The biggest is the new Snap Map feature, which shows you where Snapchat users are posting the most snaps to “Our Story.” 

Our Story is a feature on Snapchat that allows everyone in a certain location to post their snaps to a public story channel. When many users are posting from a certain location, the map appears red, acting like a heat map when there’s a lot of activity. Snapchat also features updates from Our Story, like breaking news and events, in Map Explore. 

If you use a Bitmoji of yourself in Snapchat, the map can also act as a “friend locator.” When you post to Our Stories, it shows your exact location that you’re posting from, so your friends will know what you’re up to. Once you see a friend’s Bitmoji, simply tap on it to see their story or start a chat with them. You can also use the search bar which lists every friend currently sharing their location with you, along with both their local and featured public stories.

Snapchat’s update also takes Bitmojis to the next level with Actionmojis, which are Bitmojis doing certain activities. For example, if you’re in a yoga class, your Actionmoji will show up standing on one leg in a tree pose. If you’ve opened the app early in the morning, your Actionmoji will appear with a cup of coffee in their hand. And if it’s your birthday, your Actionmoji will be holding a balloon. 

While these are pretty straightforward, the Actionmoji with stars around the figure has a lot of people puzzled about its meaning. It turns out, that’s just Snapchat’s way of letting people know that you’re on Snap Maps … a lot. 

Along with your location, the stars around your Actionmoji let friends know if you’ve had a busy day on Snap Maps.

If you don’t want your friends to know that you’re obsessed with Snap Maps, Snapchat has you covered with their new privacy settings. With the update, users can opt to use the map in “Ghost Mode,” which allows them to open and interact with Snap Maps, but not reveal their location to friends.

Whether you use Snapchat for business or pleasure, it’s important to stay on top of its latest features like Snap Maps. But use the feature wisely: You wouldn’t want your friends to see the stars around your Bitmoji while you left their texts on read.