What is the new Instagram tool Friend Map? Does it show your location down to the street name automatically as users urge to 'turn it off'

Many users on X (formerly Twitter), however, are raising red flags, warning that the feature could pose serious privacy and safety risks. One user wrote: "Reminder to turn off your location on Instagram because of the new update since it's revealing the real location of us. For our safety purposes."

Another said: “Instagram just added a feature to see peoples location down to the street name. If you don’t have it turned off please do”.

The feature allows users to temporarily share their live location with others through direct messages (DMs) for up to one hour. It works in both one-on-one and group chats, but crucially, it is off by default. Instagram has emphasized that location sharing is private and customizable. Users can choose:

• To share their location only with mutual followers, close friends, or specific accounts.
• To hide their location from certain individuals.
• To turn off location sharing entirely by disabling location services in Instagram’s Device Permissions settings.

While Instagram’s approach mirrors Snapchat’s SnapMap, it does not include a public overhead map showing everyone’s shared location at once. For those who prefer not to use the feature, follow these steps to disable location access entirely:

1. Go to Settings in the Instagram  app.

2. Navigate to Device Permissions.

3. Follow the instructions to disable location services.

WhatsApp, Meta's other messaging app, has had this feature for some time now, but it lets you share your location for up to eight hours. Google Maps offers a similar feature for Android as does Apple for its devices.

Instagram also announced 17 new sticker packs and the ability to customize nicknames in a DM. Instagram says these custom names only appear in the DM and will not appear elsewhere on the site.