Meta is reported to be working on an Instagram feature which would show where a user’s "friends" currently are on a map.
The "friend map" option, if it is rolled out on the social media app, would look like a similar map option on Snapchat, according to TechCrunch, a technology news outlet, which said Meta had confirmed the feature's development.
The map would enable users to view the real-time locations of their friends, according to Alessandro Paluzzi, a reverse engineer who is said to have a track record of sussing out upgrades and additions to social media applications before they are announced or launched.
Paluzzi, who says Instagram is also developing ways to inform users about things happening nearby, posted screenshots apparently showing that the map would allow users who opt in to customize location-sharing preferences.
Users could pick whether to share with everyone, mutual followers or people on their "close friends" list. A "ghost" setting is reportedly also in the works, meaning users who opt in can hide their most recent location.
There is no sign yet that a wider roll-out is planned, and Instagram, like other social media platforms, routinely tests new features that do not get implemented.
The map would not be the first time Instagram has added a feature similar to one on Snapchat, such as in 2016 when it gave users the "stories" option.
Instagram parent Meta could be about to see one of its own popular features copied, with rumours that TikTok, the Chinese short-form video app, is developing an Instagram-like photo-sharing facility.
