Instagram is introducing three new features aimed at enhancing user interaction on its platform. The latest update includes a new map feature that allows users to visualize their friends’ locations, drawing inspiration from Snapchat’s Snap Map. Additionally, the platform will provide reposting options for both reels and posts, along with a revamped Friends tab within the Reels section, mirroring functionalities found on TikTok.
New Features Available for Instagram Users in India
The Meta-owned platform confirmed the rollout of these features, with reports from Gadgets 360 indicating that the repost and Friends tab in Reels are now accessible to users in India, while the map feature with location sharing is currently limited to users in the United States.
The repost function allows users to share public reels and posts from others, which will be recommended to their followers. These reposted items will have a dedicated section on a user’s profile, enabling others to revisit shared content. Importantly, the original posters will receive credit for their work.
New repost and ‘Friends tab’ features now live in India
Photo Credit: Instagram
Content creators whose reels and posts are shared through reposting can potentially expand their audience, reaching users who do not follow them. Users can initiate a repost by tapping a newly introduced icon and may add personalized notes to the content they share by using the displayed “thought bubble” feature before saving their changes.
Functionality of the New Instagram Map Feature
The Instagram Map draws on concepts similar to those found in Snapchat, facilitating location-sharing among friends. Users can choose to share their most recent location with selected friends, with the option to disable location services at any time. The feature also allows users to view content from accounts they follow that is tagged to specific locations. Locations will refresh each time a user accesses the app.
Location sharing is turned off by default, requiring users to enable it manually. The application provides options for customizing access to this feature. Additionally, guardians can oversee their teenager’s location-sharing preferences, with notifications sent to them when their child starts to share their location.
In addition to personal location updates, the Instagram Map will source location-based content to users, displaying reels, posts, and stories from accounts they follow that are tagged to certain locations for a duration of 24 hours after posting, along with notes from accounts they mutually engage with. Currently, the Instagram Map is exclusively available in the U.S. and can be found in the app’s inbox section.
The third new feature introduces a dedicated ‘Friends’ tab within the Reels section. Users will gain access to publicly shared reels that have been interacted with or recommended through the platform’s Blends feature. Instagram emphasizes that the new setup will facilitate discussions around reposted content. This feature is live in India and allows customization options for users to limit the visibility of their likes and comments on reels, as well as mute activity notifications from accounts they follow.
