Snapchat launches Memories and Explore Layers on Snap Map

Snapchat announced earlier this year that it would add Layers to Snap Map, making the social product more interactive. Today, the app is launching its first two layers: Memories and Explore.

The Snap Map has been used to show people where their friends are currently located (if they opt-in to location sharing), interesting places to visit and which areas are most popular among Snapchatters. Memories will show you old Snapchats that you sent from particular places — so, if you browse your map and zoom in on Central Park, you might find a picture you took last year of a cute dog in the park. Memories are private and only available to the individual user — you can’t see friends’ memories.

Explore reimagines the heat map, which shows activity by relative volume on the Snap Map. You can tap on highlighted regions to see public photos and videos submitted by Snapchat users around the world.

Image Credits: Snapchat

These layers are designed to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for, rather than crowding a ton of information into one map. Snap’s partners like Ticketmaster and The Infatuation are also developing layers, which would show users where nearby events are happening, or which restaurants are most popular among Snapchatters. The app also added a My Places feature this summer, which recommended to users places to visit based on where they’ve been, where their friends have been and which places other Snapchat users visit most.

To access Layers, users can navigate to the Snap Map and tap the button for a Layers menu in the upper-right corner of the map. Then, they can toggle between various layers to access what they’re looking for.

These features are available now for Snapchat users on iOS and Android.