Instagram Tests New Map-Based Update Feature
Instagram is testing a new map-based feature for updates. Users can share location-based text and video with select groups.
Instagram testing new feature to enhance user experience.
Instagram is testing a new feature that allows users to post text and video updates on a map based on their location.
Users can share this map with specific groups like "close friends" or "only followers they follow back," offering more privacy than Snapchat's Snap Maps.
Privacy and Testing
Currently in a limited test phase, the feature is designed with safety in mind, though details are sparse.
This development follows Instagram's prior efforts with a 'friend map' feature and the photo map from 2012, which was phased out in 2016 due to limited engagement.
Feature Origins
Instagram often adopts features from competitors, such as Reels and Stories from TikTok and Snapchat.
Recently, Elon Musk criticised Instagram’s Threads as a copycat of X and threatened legal action over alleged intellectual property misuse.
