Instagram is working on a Friend Map feature that sounds awfully similar to a feature we’ve had on Snapchat for many years now. The feature will allow Instagram users to add local updates on a map in the region where the content was recorded. Just like the Snap Map, Instagram’s real-time friend map will allow users to share their live location along with updates like photos and videos recorded at said location.
Ideally, users will be able to look at their updates alongside those of their friends, allowing them to create a nice memory map together. Instagram’s Snap Map feature test is only being rolled out to a small test group of users for now, but if all goes well, a global rollout could be expected.
Image: Freepik
Everything We Know About the Instagram Friend Map Feature
We first heard about the Instagram map-based feature testing back in February, when TechCrunch was able to confirm its development with a spokesperson from Meta. Earlier screenshots of the Instagram map tracking feature indicated that the location day will be end-to-end encrypted. The Instagram friend map feature will allow users to opt into sharing their location with followers who follow back, a few select friends on their “Close Friends” list, or no one at all, if they prefer not to use the feature.
This is a little different from the Snap Map which allows users to share their Map stories publicly with just anyone as well as restrict it to their followers. So far, Instagram does not have any plans to allow for public sharing, which we think is for the best. We also do not have too many details available on the permanence of the content shared on the map. Instagram stories last for 24 hours but posts last forever. Instagram could go either way but having a permanent record of all posts made sounds like an overwhelming amount of content to process and bring up every time.
This may work like Apple’s “Find My” feature where users will be able to track the movement of their friends and family, but the main idea behind the Instagram real-time friend map is to allow for the sharing of content like photos and videos at a specific location.
Users can also leave “Notes” on the map to share their thoughts and details on the map. Found a cute anime-themed ramen bar that you think your friends will love? Leave a note for them to find it easily. The Notes feature on the app currently lets users share their thoughts on the messaging feed but it’s an underutilized feature with little purpose so far.
How Do We Feel About Instagram Real-Time Friend Maps?
Instagram has been doing the most when it comes to diversifying its portfolio of features with little to no reason to introduce them. The app’s Notes feature doesn’t do much to improve the app experience and neither does the integration of the AI search, which is extremely unpleasant to look at across all Meta platforms. The app has also begun experimenting with letting users create AI versions of themselves or design specialized chatbots and we’re curious to see how that works out for them.
Instagram has also been shoving the Threads app at us through notifications, reel feeds, and every other way they can think of, which has been unpleasant, to say the least. However, Instagram is also great at robbing an idea from another platform and allowing users to get lost in the feeling that the feature has always been there. Despite the initial resistance to reels, the feature has now become the app’s staple instead of the photo-sharing service monopoly it used to hold.
Many also turn to searching the tags on the app for inspiration instead of Pinterest and use it to find local hotspots instead of relying on Google Maps. Instagram stories are now considerably more popular than the Snap Stories many of us grew up with.
If Instagram’s Snap Map-like feature test goes off well, the company will roll it out to a larger audience. This should bring them the increased engagement they are looking for, although most of us already spend too much time on our phones solely due to this app.
Paired with the ad tests that Instagram has been running, this would mean more revenue for the company the more we open up the app, which is why it’s so great for the company but a little unhealthy for users. It is too soon to make a fair assessment of just how this feature will work and how it will be received. Keeping in touch with friends and family is always a great idea, but perhaps we all know just a little too much about each other. Is that Instagram’s fault? No, but the app does encourage its use a little too successfully.