Meta Platforms Inc.'s META Instagram is working on a new feature that mimics Snap Inc.'s SNAP Snapchat "Snap Map" functionality. This will allow users to share location with their friends from within Instagram, instead of using Snapchat.
What Happened: Mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered the Instagram "Friends Map" feature that has been in the works for a few months now.
Paluzzi discovers upcoming features in popular apps like Instagram before they are officially announced. He had discovered the first iteration of the "Friends Map" feature back in November, but since then, Instagram has added additionally functionality to make it ready for release.
See Also: Zuckerberg’s Meta Hit By A $3.8B Lawsuit In The UK Over Data Collection Practices
Here's How Instagram's Upcoming ‘Friends Map' Feature Works
Like Snap Map, Instagram's Friends Map feature allows users to share their location and movement details with their friends and followers. This allows users to discover where their friends are and what they're doing.
Users can also leave quick notes on their recently-visited places. This can be useful in cases where there is a sale or an event happening at a particular place. Or if there's a new eatery that users want to talk about with their friends, without cluttering up their Instagram feed.
In addition to this, posts with location tags will also appear on the Friends Map.
According to screenshots shared by Paluzzi, location shared in Instagram's Friends Map is end-to-end encrypted. Users also get an option to customize who they share their location with. There's also a "Ghost Mode" toggle that lets users hide their last active location.
Why It Matters: Instagram has been adding new features to the app to keep it interesting enough for its users amid reports that state more than a million users search for "How To Delete Instagram" every month.
Another feature that has been spotted recently is "Flipside" – it allows users to share more candid photos with their friends without worrying about others looking at them.
Interestingly, news about Instagram's Friends Map feature comes at a time when the company has been facing increased scrutiny over its privacy policies. Some of these concerns revolve around Meta's platforms being exploited for predatory targeting of teenagers.
Meta has also been hit with a $3.8 billion lawsuit recently in the U.K. over its data collection practices.
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