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Title: Adam Mosseri says 'people are confused' about how the Instagram map
works

Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2025 18:47:40 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/social-media/adam-mo...

Yesterday, Meta introduced a new map feature that's almost identical to
Snapchat's Snap Map. The feature has quickly sparked a backlash, though, and
not just because it's yet another example of Instagram ripping off a Snapchat
feature.

While the map requires users to opt-in to share their location, many users
were surprised and alarmed to see that their Instagram map was already
populated with the locations of some accounts when it launched. That's
because the map automatically pulls in location info when someone has
recently shared a Story or Reel with a location tagged.

For example, I posted a Story that tagged San Francisco's botanical gardens
and it tagged me there on Instagram's map even though I have my map location
set to share with "no one." This isn't that different from how Instagram has
worked in the past: location tags have always been visible to your followers,
and the app has always had a map view that let people see public posts that
have been tagged with specific places.

My story post tagged me on Instagram's map even though location is set to "no
one" because I tagged a location (in this case San Francisco's botanical
gardens).Instagram screenshot

But Instagram's map makes this information much more prominent and easy to
access. While before you would have to tap into specific posts to see
location tags, the new map puts all of this into a single view. Depending on
how often you tag locations, this can make it seem like your real-time info
is being shared, even when it isn't.

All that, combined with Meta's messy history with user privacy, has
understandably ignited new concerns from people worried about their location
being accidentally exposed by Instagram. Some users have questioned why the
map exists at all given the potentially serious implications of unknowingly
sharing your location with all of your Instagram mutuals.

It's also led to a lot of misunderstanding. A number of prominent accounts on
Threads have suggested that location sharing is on by default. At the time of
this writing, "Instagram map" is the top trend on Threads, with more than
850,000 posts ΓÇö most of which are privacy related. Instagram head Adam
Mosseri has replied to more than a dozen accounts attempting to explain how
it actually works.

Screenshot / Threads

"We're double checking everything, but so far it looks mostly like people are
confused and assume that, because they can see themselves on the map when
they open, other people can see them too," Mosseri wrote in response to a
Threads user who asked why people were reporting seeing themselves on the map
without opting in. "We're still checking everything though to make sure
nobody shares location without explicitly deciding to do so, which, by the
way, requires a double consent by design (we ask you to confirm after you say
you want to share)."

How to check your Instagram Map settings

You can find the Instagram map by swiping over to your inbox and selecting
the "map" icon at the top. The settings menu in the top right corner allows
you to confirm who you want to be able to find you on the map: you can choose
between "friends" (mutuals), "close friends" or a list of specific accounts.
The default setting is "no one," and the app also shows a red location arrow
when "no one is selected."

Instagram screenhsot

It's also worth checking whether you've tagged a location on any posts within
the last 24 hours. If you have, then you'll be tagged at that place on the
map even if you've set your sharing settings to "no one." Location tags only
appear on the Instagram map for 24 hours, according to Meta, so it won't keep
a running log of everywhere you've been, and it won't show your live
location. Still, these tags could reveal more about your whereabouts than you
intended. If you have tagged a place, you can either delete the post entirely
or edit it to remove the tag, which should keep it from showing up on the
map.

When you do opt to share your location on the map, the friends you select
will be able to see where you're at in real time. You can still set some
limitations, though.

The map also has a "hidden places" feature that allows you to always hide
specific locations that may be sensitive, like your home. The feature itself
is, ironically, somewhat hidden. You can find it by tapping the "..." menu on
the map's location settings and choosing "hide places." The app will then let
you drag a pin on the map and choose a surrounding radius to hide. The
feature works well if you want to hide the place you're currently at, but
it's a bit clunky if you want to block off multiple locations because you
can't enter specific addresses.

Instagram screenshot

Regardless, if you're worried about exposing your whereabouts, the safest
option is to keep location sharing set to "no one" and to not use location
tags in any of your content. It's unclear if Meta plans to change anything
about how the Instagram Map works in response to user concerns.

ΓÇ£Instagram Map is off by default, and your live location is never shared
unless you choose to turn it on," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
"If you do, only people you follow backΓÇöor a private, custom list you
selectΓÇöcan see your location.ΓÇ¥

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/adam-mo...
about-how-the-instagram-map-works-184736070.html?src=rss

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