There's a new feature from the brains behind Snapchat that will make it a whole lot easier to stage one of those classic 'coincidental' meetings with your future bae.

Because there's no currently no way of knowing where the app's 166 million users are based, the technology whizzkids over at Snapchat HQhave pioneered a new feature called Snap Maps - essentially giving users the ability to share their location with their friends.

So, how does it actually work?

To access the Snap Map simply head over to the usual Snapchat camera screen and start pinching out. From there, you should notice a a bunch of Actionmojis (symbolising your friends) dotted around the map that springs up. If you want to hang out, simply click on their avatar and a screen will pop up giving you the option to message them.

Basically, the entireconcept makes it a whole lot easier to work out whether your pals are in a close enough vicinity for you to actually bother leaving the house for.

Hmm. Sounds interesting, but what if I'd rather opt out?

If the idea of people being able to see your location kind of creeps you out, then you'll be relieved to hear that the location-sharing aspect is totally optional.

There are ways to share your location with a few select friends, the whole list, or none at all. If you prefer to dip in and out of the maps feature, you can also go into something Ghost Mode - which means you become invisible on the map.

It's also worth bearing in mind that location sharing is turned off by default, so if you prefer to be a lurker, there's absolutely no need to ever switch the toggle to on. Phew.

What else can the feature do?

It's not all about stalking your mates, with the feature also providing a way to access localised news stories and giving users the optionto browse pictures and videos from specific areas around the world. Hoorah.Welcome to the future.