SANTA MONICA, Feb 23 — Can social networks help keep users safe beyond the realms of the platforms themselves? Snapchat and Skype have both launched new features allowing their users to stay safe even in real life (IRL). From geolocation to making emergency calls from a computer, these options could even save your life.
Social networks are making efforts to ensure the safety of their users, even in real life. While such platforms are increasingly launching features to protect users online, they’re now extending these actions to the real world.
As such, Snapchat users can now share their location live with friends for 15 minutes, one hour or eight hours. This new feature has to be activated by the user by going directly to one of their friends’ profiles. For now, Snapchat has confirmed that the option does not allow users to share their real-time location details with all their friends at once.
Snapchat isn’t the first platform to offer this kind of tool. WhatsApp already lets users share their location live for several hours, but also to send contacts their current location. On iOS, Apple users have long been able to take advantage of the “Find My” application that offers similar functionality.
Skype, meanwhile, is finally allowing emergency calls to 911 from a computer in the US. The application will also be able to send the user’s location to emergency services. In addition, voice messages have been increased from two to five minutes, light and dark options will be available during calls, and users can now send custom reactions and zoom in during a screen share.
Skype’s new feature can be particularly useful if there’s no smartphone to hand. However, Skype warns that calls may be rerouted if a user is outside their home region. Connection and network problems can also impact the use of the tool.
Note that this function had already been launched in Australia, Denmark, Finland and the UK. — ETX Studio
