It’s been in development for some time, and now, Instagram has launched a live test of its new “Friend Map” feature, which can display the location of your friends on a dedicated display in the app.
As outlined in this overview, Instagram’s new “Friend Map” is designed to enable your friends to see both where you are and where you’ve been, with any posts and/or Stories that you’ve tagged with a location then added to the map display.
You’ll also be able to add Notes to any location or place, so that you can give your friends feedback and insights based on your experiences.
Which could provide more capacity for engagement and interaction, though IG is also being cautious with the update, given the potential privacy concerns.
Instagram says that the Friend Map, which is currently in testing with a small group of users, will only be available to share with those on your “Close Friends” list, or your mutual follows in the app. Public location sharing and content tagging will not be an option with the feature.
That’s the same as Snapchat’s Snap Map, and in theory at least, that should counter some of the main privacy concerns. Though there’s also not much that IG or Snap can do if someone mistakenly adds a friend who then happens to be a predator, and who can then inadvertently access a users’ location in the app.
So there is an inherent risk with this product, and one that likely outweighs the benefits for many users. But for those who are cautious with their connections, it could be a handy element to help organize IRL meet-ups, and make Instagram more social, expanding on the rising popularity of DMs in the app.
The intended audience for this, of course, is younger users, which IG is desperate to hold onto, amid rising competition from TikTok and Snapchat. Young users have increasingly been interacting via DMs in the app, as opposed to posting to the main feed or Stories (or Reels, which is primarily focused on entertainment, not social connection), and Instagram’s been trying to capitalize on this with features like Notes, which it says have been hugely popular with young users.
That more intimate engagement points to opportunities for add-ons like Friend Map, in facilitating even more connection in the app. And if it works for Snap, which recently announced a new milestone of 850 million active users, maybe it’ll be popular on IG as well, leaning into these evolving usage behaviors.
As noted, Instagram’s been developing its “Friend Map” option for some time, with the initial elements spotted in testing in November last year. More advanced screenshots were uncovered in February, when Instagram first officially confirmed that it was developing the display.
And now, it’s live for some users.
So will it be a hit? Well, I can see the logic, in catering to the usage habits of teens, who are far more socially active than most adult users. But it does also come with risks, which, if I were Meta, I’m not sure I would have been able to overlook.
But it’s only a test for now, and IG will be watching this specific element very closely as it monitors initial usage.
