Social media giant Instagram has launched a new feature that enriches the user experience. Users can now share live location on the direct message (DM) platform. This innovation stands out as a feature that makes it easier to coordinate meetings with friends and makes communication more interactive.
Meta’s update allows users to share their live location in their DMs for a full hour. The feature only appears in selected chats and automatically expires after one hour. Similar to Snapchat’s SnapMap feature, this innovation offers a more controlled and private location sharing experience.
How to Share Live Location on Instagram?
The step-by-step method for sharing live location is as follows:
- Open the Instagram app and enter the DM (Direct Message) section.
- Select the person or group you want to share location with.
- Tap the “+” icon in the message window.
- Select “Location” from the drop-down menu.
- Tap the “Start sharing your location” button.
- Your sharing will automatically appear as a message on the chat screen.
- You can use the “View location” option to view a more detailed map.
- You can end sharing at any time with “Stop location sharing”.
Important note: This feature is turned off by default and it is recommended that you only share location with people you know in real life.
Instagram Live Location Sharing
Instagram’s new feature aims to make the platform’s messaging experience more functional and fun. In addition to live location sharing, the platform has also introduced two additional new features to users:
- Adding Nicknames: Users will now be able to add nicknames to themselves and their friends in DM chats. These nicknames will only appear in the relevant chat.
- Expanded Sticker Options: 17 new sticker packs, bringing the total sticker options to more than 300. Users will be able to add stickers sent by friends to their favorites.
Designed with security and privacy in mind, these features offer users a more controlled and enjoyable messaging experience. These innovations, which are not yet available in all countries, will soon be available globally. As Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri emphasized, the platform is focusing on more and more messaging features and aims to continuously improve the user experience.
