Meta’s photo-sharing giant expands into social mapping, adds reposts, and globalizes its “Friends” tab in Reels.
Entering Snap Map territory
Instagram has unveiled Instagram Map, a location-sharing feature designed to help friends meet up and discover location-based content. The rollout marks Instagram’s latest move to replicate Snapchat’s hits, following its adoption of Stories in 2016.
Snapchat’s Snap Map currently boasts over 400 million monthly active users. Instagram’s alternative launches with location sharing off by default and updates only when the app is opened — avoiding constant real-time tracking.
How Instagram Map works
- Users can share their most recent location with friends for coordination.
- Content from friends and creators — such as event Stories or Reels — appears directly on the map.
- Users can post Notes (short messages) tied to locations, extending the existing DM Notes feature.
- Location sharing via Instagram Map differs from DMs, where real-time sharing lasts a maximum of one hour.
Meta says the feature could also appeal to fans of Zenly, the social map app Snap shut down in 2023.
The feature debuts in the U.S. this week, with global rollout to follow. Access is available from the top of the DM inbox.
New reposts for wider reach
Instagram is also launching Reposts — its take on TikTok’s content-sharing and Twitter’s retweet model.
Users can:
- Repost public Reels and feed posts to friends’ feeds.
- View reposts in a dedicated “Reposts” tab on their profile.
- Add notes or comments before reposting.
Instagram sees this as a way for users to share interests and for creators to amplify their reach.
Expanding the “Friends” tab in Reels
Previously U.S.-only, the Friends tab in Reels is now available worldwide. It displays public Reels your friends have liked, commented on, reposted, or created.
Privacy controls allow users to:
- Opt out of having their interactions displayed.
- Hide likes, comments, and reposts from the Friends tab.
- Mute engagement from specific followers.
