This feature will be similar to Apple's Find My Friends (which is now integrated into the Find My app).
It will make it easy for users to host face-to-face meetings right from Instagram chats.
According to an announcement from Meta, the live location sharing feature will be applied in Instagram's direct messages. The company said the purpose of this feature is to help users more conveniently plan to meet up with friends without wasting much time.
“Spend more time together, less time planning” is the message in Meta's post.
For security reasons, this feature can only be shared via direct messages or group chats. Location sharing is turned off by default and will only be shared for an hour. After that, Instagram will automatically stop sharing.
The app will also display an icon to let users know when their location is being shared. Users should be careful not to share their location with people they don't know. Unlike Apple's Find My, Instagram doesn't offer the option to continuously share your location with others.
Earlier this year, Meta confirmed that it was testing a Snap Map-like feature that would show your friends' locations on a map, but the feature has yet to be widely rolled out.
In addition to location sharing, Instagram will also add new sticker packs for direct messages and the ability to set custom nicknames for group chat members.
The Instagram app for iPhone is available for free on the App Store. To use the new feature, users will need to update to the latest version of the app. Note that location sharing is currently only available in "select countries."
