You can now share your location on Instagram. To ensure that no one knows where you are, turn off this feature
Instagram, a platform for sharing photos and videos, has started testing a new feature called "Friend Map," which lets users send direct messages to contacts with their exact, real-time location. Like Snapchat's well-liked Snap Map, the update has received mixed reviews from users.
This feature allows users to calculate distances, find events or meetings in their area, and see their location and that of their contacts on a map. On social media sites like X and TikTok, however, this option has sparked worries from users who are alerting them to possible privacy and security issues.
In a video he posted to TikTok with his over 6.6 million followers, Esteban Leite stated, "I personally do not like this feature," and he walked viewers through the process of turning it off. The tool, created by Netel's platform, Instagram, is still in testing and has not been made available to all users. However, in nations like Mexico, it has already started to spread. Regarding this launch, the tech company has not yet released any official information.
The map feature should be accessible if you simply navigate to Contacts and scroll to the far right of the notes.
Then select Mutual Followers, Best Friends, These Accounts Only, or Invisible Mode by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Because no one can see your location, the latter option is the most advised for your privacy and stops it from being shown.
Removing the permission straight from the app's information—where location should not be included—is another method to stop tracking. This will stop this feature, Reels, and Stories from using location tracking.
If it does not show up, the update is not yet available and will not affect anything. To make sure they have not been activated, it is crucial to check for updates. Since the feature is still in beta, the company will probably fix this problem before rolling out updates to a wider audience.