Instagram lets you see your friends' locations now, and vice versa - here's how

Instagram / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

ZDNET's takeaways

• Instagram is unveiling several new features.
• Its new Snapchat-style map lets you see where your friends are.
• There's also a new way to see content your friends are interacting with.

Meta has unveiled a number of changes to Instagram, all aimed at helping you better connect with your friends and their favorite content. A new location-sharing map is on the way, along with new ways to find content.

A Snapchat-style friend map

Maybe the most useful feature is one taken directly from Snapchat (whose upcoming AR glasses are looking special): Instagram Map. This feature shares the last location you used the app with people you choose (followers you follow back, close friends, selected friends, or no one). You have to opt in and share your location with Instagram for your friends to see your location, and you can turn this off at any time, Meta says. You can also open the map at the top of your DMs list to see content from your friends.

If you're a parent of a teen account, you can control their location sharing. You'll get a notification if your teen starts sharing their location, and you can decide whether your teen has access to location sharing on the map and who your teen shares their location with.

Also: How to protect your privacy from Facebook - and what doesn't work

Whether you're sharing your location or not, you can still use the map to explore content around you. You can browse stories from friends at a new restaurant, find a new hangout from a popular local creator, and more. Any content with a location tagged can show up on the map, Meta explained, including Reels, posts, and stories from people you follow. These will be available for 24 hours after they're posted.

Instagram Map is rolling out today. 

Like what your friends are liking

Meta is also introducing a new Friends tab in Reels. 

In this tab, you'll see public content your friends have interacted with or recommendations from Blends you've started. The Friends tab will help you see which Reels your friends are creating and engaging with, Meta says, hopefully helping you connect a little more. Friends began rolling out earlier this year, but now it's launching globally. You have control over what's shown in the Friends tab, like the ability to hide your own likes and comments on Reels and to mute activity bubbles from specific people.

Also: How to delete Facebook, Messenger, or Instagram - if you want Meta out of your life

You'll find the Friends tab at the top of Reels. Tap the "Reels" tab to return to your usual Reels feed.

Repost your favorite Reels and posts

A new Repost feature lets you repost public Reels and feed posts, making it easier for you to share interests with friends. Reposts are recommended to your friends' and followers' feeds, but you can also find them in a separate tab.

The original poster will get credit, but content reposted by someone else might show up for that person's followers, even if those people don't follow the creator. To repost a Reel or post, tap the repost icon. 

You can also add a note to your repost by typing into the thought bubble.

Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.