“Text me when you get home” — it is something friends and family say all the time. But in the hustle and bustle of life, it is easy to forget the moment we walk through the door. Don’t worry, going forward, you can let your loved ones know you have made it back safely — without you needing to lift a finger to type the message.
Snapchat, the popular photo-sharing app, has rolled out a new feature called “Home Safe” – a new tool built into Snap Map – that allows you to automatically send a one-time notification to a close friend or family member when you arrive home safely.
Whether it’s after a late-night party, a first date, or just a long day out, the alert is sent automatically —saving you from having to send a “I’m home” message.
How It Works
To use the feature, you need to first need to set a home location on Snap Map with your Bitmoji on Snap Map, then choose “My Home.” The feature only works with friends who already have access to your live location — adding a layer of privacy to the process. Snap Map location sharing is off by default unless you turn it on.
Then, before heading out, you can simply open a chat with a friend you want to notify, then tap on the Map icon, and hit the “Home Safe” button. That’s it — once the app detects you have returned home, Snapchat will send that friend a one-time notification in the chat. The alert then turns off automatically, requiring you to manually turn it on each time you want to use it.
Safety That Respects Your Privacy
The idea is simple but powerful — reducing anxiety for both the person out and the people waiting to hear from them. Snap says it has designed Home Safe while keeping both privacy and safety at the forefront, ensuring that users stay in control of who gets their updates and when.
Further, notifications only go to people you already share your location with, and alerts aren’t broadcast to all your contacts. It is a discreet and thoughtful feature for moments when safety and reassurance matter most, like heading home late, traveling solo, or walking through a new neighbourhood.
With Snap Map already being used by more than 400 million people every month to connect with their friends and family and find places to visit nearby, adding safety-focused features like this just makes sense. The company builds on Snap’s existing tools, like Family Center, which allows parents to keep an eye on their teens’ activity in the app.
