Instagram Testing “Friend Map” Feature to Show Friends’ Locations

Instagram is reportedly developing a new feature called Friend Map, which allows users to see the last active locations of their friends on a map, similar to the existing feature in Snap Map. 

Here’s a breakdown of the leaked details: 

Functionality of new Instagram feature: 

• Friend Map is expected to display a world map interface where users can see their friends’ locations based on shared location tags in posts. 
• Users can choose to share their own location through posts with location tags. 
• Users can potentially leave notes on the map, similar to the Direct Message “Notes” feature. 

Potential benefits: 

• Improved connection: Users can see what friends are up to and potentially meet up in real life. 
• Location discovery: Users might discover nearby friends and local accounts. 

Instagram feature privacy controls (based on leaks): 

• Users can choose who sees their location, including options like:  

• Ghost Mode: No one sees their location. 
• Followers you follow back: Only mutual followers can see their location. 
• Close Friends: Only designated close friends see their location. 

• End-to-end encryption of location data is reportedly planned. 

Additional details: 

• Leaked information originated from a social media post on February 24th. 
• The feature is currently in internal testing and not confirmed for public release yet. 

Overall, the “Friend Map” feature, if implemented, could significantly change how users interact and share their locations on Instagram. It’s important to note that this information is based on leaks and the final feature might differ when (or if) it is officially released.