https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/26/instagram-confirms-developing-snap-map-like-friend-map-feature/

Instagram is developing an opt-in “Friend Map” feature that would allow users to see their friends’ locations in real time, a Meta spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday. The company says the feature, which is similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, is an internal prototype and is not being tested externally. The feature was first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who often discovers social media features in development ahead of their official launch.

If Instagram plans to officially launch the Friend Map, it would be copying yet another popular feature from Snapchat, after cloning the app’s core Stories functionality back in 2016. Instagram would also be coming for Apple and its “Find My” map feature that lets users see where their friends and family are currently located. With this new feature, Instagram would be giving its users another reason to spend more time on its app, and less on other companies’ services.