Does my AI know your location?
My AI only knows your location if you've already given Snapchat location permission. Snap says My AI 'does not collect any new location information from you.' It uses that existing location to suggest nearby places when you ask. If you never shared location with Snapchat, My AI can't see where you are.
Why — the first-principles explanation
Apps on your phone can only access your location if the phone's operating system has granted them permission. Snapchat is one app, and My AI lives inside it — so My AI can't reach around the app to grab location on its own. It simply reuses the permission you already gave to Snapchat. If you never allowed Snapchat to see your location, My AI has nothing to read.
Snap is explicit that My AI 'does not collect any new location information from you.' In other words, turning on the chatbot doesn't trigger a fresh location grab. It only taps the same location signal Snapchat already uses for features like Snap Map, and only to answer questions where place matters — 'find me tacos nearby' or 'what's a good park around here.'
One common confusion is Ghost Mode. Ghost Mode hides your location from friends on Snap Map, but it does not cut off My AI. My AI still uses your location for recommendations if Snapchat itself has permission. To fully block location, you revoke Snapchat's location access in your phone settings.
An example that makes it click
Imagine you give a house key to one roommate. That roommate has a friend visiting — My AI. The friend never got their own key; they can only get inside using the roommate's key you already handed over. If you never gave a key at all, the friend is stuck outside and has no idea what room you're in.
So if you told Snapchat 'yes, you can see my location,' its helper My AI can use that to point you to the nearest pizza place. If you said 'no' to Snapchat from the start, My AI is guessing blind.
How to do it
- To check: open your phone's Settings, find Snapchat, and look at Location permission.
- Set it to 'Never' to stop all location access, including My AI's place recommendations.
- In Snapchat, open Settings > 'See My Location' to turn on Ghost Mode (hides you from friends on Snap Map).
- Remember Ghost Mode alone does NOT block My AI — revoke the app's location permission for that.
Key facts
- My AI does not collect any new location data on its own.
- It can only access location if you've already granted Snapchat location permission.
- Location is used to give personalized nearby-place recommendations when you ask.
- Ghost Mode hides your location from friends on Snap Map but does not block My AI's location use.
- Revoking Snapchat's location permission in phone settings stops My AI from knowing where you are.
▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Does My AI on Snapchat know where you are? Only if you already let Snapchat see your location. Snap says clearly that My AI does not collect any new location information on its own. It just borrows the location permission you already gave the app — the same one that powers Snap Map. It uses that to answer location questions, like recommending a coffee shop near you. Here's the catch a lot of people miss: Ghost Mode does not block My AI. Ghost Mode only hides you from friends on the map — My AI can still use your location for suggestions. If you want to fully cut it off, go into your phone's settings, find Snapchat, and set Location to Never. Do that, and My AI genuinely won't know where you are.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Does Ghost Mode stop My AI from seeing my location?
No. Ghost Mode only hides your location from friends on Snap Map. My AI can still use your location if Snapchat has permission.
How do I stop My AI from knowing my location?
Open your phone's Settings, find Snapchat, and set Location to 'Never.' My AI then has no location to read.
Does My AI track me in the background?
Snap says My AI does not collect new location information. It only reuses the location permission Snapchat already has, and only when you ask location-based questions.