Instagram Friend Map - what's it and how to access it?

An image of the Instagram Friend Map


An image of the Instagram Friend Map

If the buzz around the new Friend Map feature on Instagram has piqued your curiosity and you're eager to learn more about it and how to access it, this guide is for you.

Yes, Instagram is developing a map feature akin to Snapchat's Snap Map, which displays the live locations of its users. This feature was initially identified by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi and subsequently confirmed by a spokesperson from Meta to TechCrunch.

In this guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of the Instagram Friend Map, exploring what it is, its unique features, and the privacy options it offers. But before that, you might also want to check out the Instagram Flipside feature.

What is Friends Map on Instagram?

The Friends Map feature on Instagram is an opt-in service allowing users to share their real-time location with friends. As of now, the Friends Map is in the internal prototype stage, meaning it is not yet available for public access.

Your location is refreshed each time you open the Instagram app, indicating that what your friends see is not your live location but your location at the last instance you accessed Instagram, accompanied by a timestamp of this occurrence.

An image of the Instagram Friend Map feature
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Credit: @alex193a on Twitter

Beyond merely sharing your location, the Friends Map feature allows you to post notes directly on the map about current activities or events at your location. This feature provides your friends with a glimpse of where you are and what you're engaged in.

Who can see your last active location on Friends Map?

Instagram provides customisable privacy settings for the Friends Map feature, allowing you to control who sees your last active location. You have the flexibility to limit location sharing to either followers you mutually follow or to your close friends list.

Instagram's Friends Map includes a "Ghost Mode" option. When activated, this feature hides your last active location and removes your presence from the map, serving as a discreet method to turn off Friends Map for enhanced privacy.

That covers everything we know so far about the Friends Map feature on Instagram. We will update the article when more information on the feature becomes available. In the meantime, learn how to fix the Instagram Flipside not showing issue.

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