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Snap Maps update makes your Bitmoji’s world look a bit snazzier

Snap Maps update makes your Bitmoji’s world look a bit snazzier

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It’s the biggest update to the service since Map Explore

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Image: Snap

One year after launching Snap Maps, Snap is giving its geolocation feature a lot more visual flair with two updates coming soon. The first big update, World Effects, adds snazzy animations and color schemes to the maps. It will send you and your friends a blast of confetti on your birthdays, and themed maps will also be rolled out for particular holidays and “cultural events.”

Maps that are opened around Valentine’s Day will turn landmasses pink and fluffy, for example, while doing the same thing around Halloween will reveal a more ghoulish color scheme — with other holiday themes on the way.

The other update announced today, Weather Effects, adds animations based on the weather where the Snapchat user is. A user stuck outside on a particularly rainy or snowy day will be able to open their Map, zoom in, and see their avatar stuck in the same situation.

Snap Maps received a lot of press in the past, notably for giving users the chance to experience breaking news and events around the world in real time. Still, lighthearted updates like this are also important to users, Snap product designer Jack Brody told Mashable. ”That’s something we aim to pull in to everything that we do,” he said. “We’re always thinking how do we keep this playful, how do we keep this personal and allow it to feel like it’s alive.”

The timeline on these updates is still unclear, but Snapchat says they’re “coming soon.”