Users can access the feature via a new map icon at the top of the Instagram app’s Direct Message (DM) screen. The map shows the locations of you and your friends in the form of profile images, with the last location recorded under the images. For example, “just now” means your friend is currently at that location.
Location sharing is disabled by default and users must initiate sharing through settings. The public scope can be limited to friends you follow, close friends, specific accounts, or set to hidden mode. When sharing your location, you can also use the notes function, which will display a short message you leave along with your location for 24 hours.
Meta expects this feature to help with natural encounters between friends or recommendations of places. One user responded positively, saying, “I saw the location of a friend who was near my office and immediately contacted him to make dinner plans.”
However, some users have raised privacy concerns. One college student said, “I shared my location with my boyfriend, and he often sent me messages like, ‘What are you doing there?’” and “It started to feel annoying and strange later.” Another user also expressed psychological burden, saying, “I feel like I’m trying to hide something when I turn location sharing on and off.”
“The default setting is ‘Hide Mode,’ so if the user doesn’t want their location to be revealed, it won’t be revealed,” a Meta representative said. The feature is currently only available to some users, and will be gradually expanded in the future.
