Instagram develops Snapchat-style friend map feature
It has been confirmed that Instagram is working on a new feature that could change the way we interact with our friends on the platform. This function, known as Friends Map, will allow users to see the real-time location of their friends, as long as they choose to share their whereabouts. The news, confirmed by a spokesperson from Meta to TechCrunch highlights how Instagram continues to innovate and look for ways to keep its users engaged and less dependent on external services.
The idea of location sharing is not new in the social media space. Snapchat already has a similar feature called Snap Map and Apple offers Find My, which allows users to track the location of friends and family. However, Instagram plans to put its own spin on this feature, possibly appealing to those users who miss Zenly, a social mapping app that Snapchat acquired and then shut down last year.
The function Friends Map Instagram is currently in the internal prototype phase and has not been tested externally. It was discovered by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, known for previewing features in development of various social media platforms. According to screenshots Paluzzi shared, this new feature will offer several privacy options, allowing users to decide who can see their location. You will be able to choose between sharing this information with mutual followers, your list of “Close friends” or not share it with anyone. Additionally, a mode will be included “Ghost” to hide the last active location.
Another interesting aspect of Friends Map is the possibility of leaving short messages, or “Grades”, on the map for others to see. This expands the functionality of Instagram Notes, which currently appear at the top of the direct message feed, and offers a new way to communicate experiences, such as pop-up shop discoveries or new restaurant recommendations.
This initiative comes at a time when Instagram is looking to improve its in-app map offering. In late 2022, introduced a map experience searchable which allows users to explore popular tagged places around them and filter location results by specific categories. This launch occurred in a context where young people, according to statements by Google senior vice president, Prabhakar Raghavan, prefer to use applications such as Instagram and TikTok to discover new places, instead of resorting to Google Search or Maps.
As you can see, Instagram not only seeks to offer its users a new way to connect and share experiences through the Friends Map, but also positions itself as a direct competitor to Snapchat, Apple and, to some extent, Google, when it comes to location and place discovery services. Only time will tell how this new feature will be received by the Instagram community and how it will influence the way we interact on the platform.