Why don't my Snapchat videos show a location in Apple Photos?

Apple Photos reads a video's location from one specific QuickTime metadata atom — Keys:GPSCoordinates. Snapchat's export never writes it into the .mp4, so Apple Photos has nothing to place on the map and the video shows no location. (Photos map fine because Apple reads their location from ordinary EXIF GPS tags, which is a different mechanism.) MemoriesExport writes that exact atom with exiftool, so your videos land in the right spot too.

Why do other 'add GPS' fixes still leave my videos off the map?

Most metadata tools — and every native imaging library — write EXIF and XMP GPS tags. Apple Photos uses those for photos, but for video it only reads the QuickTime Keys:GPSCoordinates atom. So a video can carry EXIF/XMP latitude and longitude and still show no location, because the tag Apple actually reads for video was never written. Writing that atom needs exiftool; MemoriesExport shells out to it on every located file.

Does it add location to photos too?

Yes. For photos MemoriesExport writes the standard EXIF GPS tags (GPSLatitude/GPSLongitude with N/S/E/W references), which Apple Photos, Google Photos and every other gallery already read.

Where does the location come from?

From your own export. Snapchat records the coordinates of each memory in memories_history.json; MemoriesExport writes them back into the file. Memories with no recorded location are left untouched — nothing is invented.

Add location

Put the location back on your Snapchat photos & videos

Snapchat knows where each memory was taken — but the export strips it out, so nothing shows up on the map. The tricky part is video: it's where most tools quietly fail, and where MemoriesExport is different. Here's the exact reason, and a one-line command you can run to prove your videos are fixed.

The wedge: Apple Photos reads a different tag for video

Apple Photos won't place a video on the map unless the file carries one specific QuickTime metadata atom — Keys:GPSCoordinates (the com.apple.quicktime.location data Apple reads for MP4s). Photos are easy: Apple reads their location from ordinary EXIF GPS tags. Video is the hard case, because that Keys atom is the only place Apple Photos looks — and Snapchat never writes it.

The catch is that almost no metadata tool writes it either. No native Python or Rust imaging library can write the MP4 Keys atom at all — it has to be done by shelling out to exiftool. That's why tools that "add GPS" can still leave every video off the map: they write EXIF/XMP latitude and longitude (which Apple uses for photos) but never the Keys atom Apple uses for video. MemoriesExport writes that exact atom with exiftool on every located file, so your Snapchat videos appear in the right place — not just your photos.

Exactly what we write

Per located memory, MemoriesExport writes, in a single exiftool pass:

Photos & videos: the standard EXIF GPS tags — GPSLatitude / GPSLongitude in degrees-minutes-seconds with the correct N/S/E/W reference. Every gallery app (Apple Photos, Google Photos, …) reads these for still images.
Videos, additionally: the QuickTime Keys:GPSCoordinates atom — the one Apple Photos reads to put a video on the map. exiftool safely ignores this key on JPEGs, so it's written on every located file without harming photos.

The coordinates come straight from your export's memories_history.json — we don't guess or fetch anything. A memory with no recorded location is left exactly as it was.

See it yourself: verify the atom

You don't have to take our word for it. If you have exiftool installed, run this on a fixed video and read the group tag in square brackets:

exiftool -G1 -s -Keys:GPSCoordinates your-video.mp4

On a raw Snapchat export video the command prints nothing — the atom simply isn't there, which is why Apple Photos shows no location. On the same file after MemoriesExport you'll see:

[Keys]          GPSCoordinates                  : 59 deg 55' 0.00" N, 10 deg 45' 0.00" E

The [Keys] group is the whole point: it's the QuickTime atom Apple reads for video, distinct from the ordinary [EXIF]/[Composite] GPS you'd get from a tool that only touches EXIF. In Apple Photos the difference is just as plain: before, the video has no place shown and never appears under a map or place; after, it's pinned where it was taken and shows up alongside your photos in Places. For the full background, see why Snapchat videos don't show a location in Apple Photos.

Restored in one pass

Location is written in the same pass as your capture dates and overlays. See how it works, or — if you haven't pulled your data out of Snapchat yet — start with how to export all your Snapchat Memories.

Add location to my export →

Frequently asked questions

Why don't my Snapchat videos show a location in Apple Photos?: Apple Photos reads a video's location from one specific QuickTime metadata atom — Keys:GPSCoordinates. Snapchat's export never writes it into the .mp4, so Apple Photos has nothing to place on the map and the video shows no location. (Photos map fine because Apple reads their location from ordinary EXIF GPS tags, which is a different mechanism.) MemoriesExport writes that exact atom with exiftool, so your videos land in the right spot too.
Why do other 'add GPS' fixes still leave my videos off the map?: Most metadata tools — and every native imaging library — write EXIF and XMP GPS tags. Apple Photos uses those for photos, but for video it only reads the QuickTime Keys:GPSCoordinates atom. So a video can carry EXIF/XMP latitude and longitude and still show no location, because the tag Apple actually reads for video was never written. Writing that atom needs exiftool; MemoriesExport shells out to it on every located file.
Does it add location to photos too?: Yes. For photos MemoriesExport writes the standard EXIF GPS tags (GPSLatitude/GPSLongitude with N/S/E/W references), which Apple Photos, Google Photos and every other gallery already read.
Where does the location come from?: From your own export. Snapchat records the coordinates of each memory in memories_history.json; MemoriesExport writes them back into the file. Memories with no recorded location are left untouched — nothing is invented.