Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Feed Link: https://www.engadget.com/
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Title: Instagram adds a new friends map feature that sure looks a lot like
the Snap Map

Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2025 15:29:40 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-adds-...

Instagram just announced an update with some long-requested features. The
most notable is the introduction of a location-sharing tool for friends,
though the long-awaited reposting tool is nothing ot sneeze at, either. Once
opted into, the map shares a user's last active location with chosen
contacts. The location sharing feature is turned off until selected and there
are numerous customization controls.

For instance, Instagram users can choose to share location data with all
friends, Close Friends, selected accounts or nobody at all. This data can be
restricted when at certain locations or when with specific people.

Meta

It sounds and looks a whole lot like Snapchat's Snap Map, just without the
cute emoji animations. This isn't the first time Meta's Instagram has looked
toward Snapchat for inspiration. The platform introduced Snapchat-like tags
for adding friends and a Stories slideshow carousel that was nearly identical
to the one found on Snapchat.

Instagram's update, however, brings more than just location sharing. The
platform has finally introduced reposts, which it first teased all the way
back in 2022 and then again earlier this year. This lets people repost public
Reels and feed posts. These reposts will be recommended to friends and
followers and they're housed in a separate profile tab. Reposts are also
automatically credited to the original poster, though users can add
personalized notes.

Finally, Instagram is rolling out a new Friends tab in Reels. This lets
people see public content that friends have interacted with. Meta began
experimenting with this feature earlier this year, but now it's launching
globally. I have no interest in knowing what my friends are looking at unless
they specifically share something, but maybe that's just me.

These tools are rolling out today and should be available to most users right
now. Just check the app for an update.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/apps/instagram-adds-...
sure-looks-a-lot-like-the-snap-map-170811567.html?src=rss

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