Ghost Mode in three taps
In Snapchat, open the camera, tap the map icon at the bottom left, then the gear at the top right. Switch Ghost Mode on and choose for how long: 3 hours, 24 hours or until turned off. Friends then see nothing; you still see them.
Choose who sees you instead
In the same settings, "My Friends", "My Friends except…" or "Only these friends…" let you stay visible to a few people. Snapchat only ever shows your location to friends, never to the public, and only when the app is open or was open recently.
Stop it at the phone
Android: Settings, Apps, Snapchat, Permissions, Location, "Don’t allow". iPhone: Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Snapchat, "Never". Snap Map then has nothing to show, and no setting inside the app can switch it back on.
What a VPN changes, and what it does not
A VPN changes the internet address that websites and apps see, so Snapchat’s servers see a Teal VPN server instead of your network. It does not change GPS. The map position comes from the phone’s location hardware, so a VPN alone never hides you on the Snap Map; Ghost Mode or the permission switch does.
Where a VPN helps: on café, school or hotel Wi‑Fi it hides which apps and sites you use from the network, and it keeps your address out of the app’s view. Teal VPN does that in one tap and is free with 500 MB a day.
Also worth a look
Snapchat shows a "live location" option for a chosen friend; check it is off for people you no longer want to share with. Stories can carry location tags. And a screenshot of a Snap shows wherever you were when you took it.
Keep reading
References
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