Instagram is once again borrowing from its rivals, this time taking a page out of Snapchat’s playbook with a new feature reminiscent of Snap Map. The social media giant is testing a map-based update tool that will allow users to post text and video updates tagged with their location.
Users will be able to choose a “specific group of people” to share their location with, such as “Close Friends or only followers they follow back,” Christine Pai, a Meta spokesperson, told The Verge.
Also read: Design your own AI on Instagram: Meta’s AI Studio lets you personalise digital characters
Pai also revealed that the feature is still in a limited testing phase. The feature includes controls for location sharing. The feature is currently available only in select markets as an opt-in tool. “As always, we are building this feature with safety in mind,” Pai added.
The feature was first spotted in development earlier this year with the name “Friend Map”. Instagram had previously experimented with a map-based photo feature in 2012, but it was discontinued due to low engagement. This new feature, if rolled out widely, will mark a significant shift, potentially reviving and expanding upon past concepts.
Also read: Instagram could soon let you create chat themes with AI: Check details
As Instagram continues to adapt and incorporate elements from its competitors, this latest feature demonstrates its ongoing strategy of adopting and refining popular ideas. Whether this new feature will resonate with users or face a similar fate as its predecessor remains to be seen.
It’s worth noting that your location is expected to be end-to-end encrypted, as earlier reported. Moreover, your location might only be updated on the Friend Map when you open Instagram. Similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, Instagram’s Friend Map is expected to offer a ‘Ghost mode’ that will allow you to hide your last active location.