Snapchat launches a real-time location sharing feature

Snapchat on Friday announced a buddy system-like feature that allows its users to share their real-time location with friends for a period of time.

The safety feature is being rolled out as more people are returning to school campuses, traveling, going out on dates and otherwise resuming what they did before the pandemic, the company said. The feature, which is similar to Apple (AAPL)'s Find My app, allows users to share their real-time locations with a friend for 15 minutes, one hour or up to eight hours.

Snapchat partnered with It's On Us, a nonprofit founded in 2014 to combat sexual assault on campuses, in creating the feature.