After being in development for a while, Instagram has now launched a live test of its new “Friend Map” feature, which shows the locations of your friends on a dedicated display within the app.

As detailed in this overview, Instagram's new “Friend Map” feature allows friends to see both your current location and where you've been, with any posts or Stories tagged with a location added to the map display.

Users can also attach notes to specific locations, providing feedback and insights based on their experiences. This could enhance engagement and interaction, but Instagram is approaching the update cautiously due to potential privacy concerns.

Currently, the Friend Map is being tested with a small group of users and can only be shared with those on your “Close Friends” list or mutual followers within the app. Public location sharing and content tagging are not available with this feature.

This approach is similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, which aims to address some privacy issues. However, there is still a risk if someone mistakenly adds a friend who may pose a threat, potentially allowing access to a user’s location in the app.

While this product carries inherent risks that may outweigh the benefits for many users, it could be a useful tool for organizing in-person meet-ups for those who are careful about their connections. It also aims to make Instagram more social, building on the increasing popularity of direct messages (DMs) within the app.

The primary audience for this feature is younger users, a demographic Instagram is eager to retain amid growing competition from TikTok and Snapchat. Young users are increasingly engaging via DMs rather than posting to the main feed, Stories, or Reels, which focus more on entertainment than social connection. Instagram has been capitalizing on this trend with features like Notes, which have gained popularity among younger users.

This more intimate form of engagement suggests opportunities for features like Friend Map to facilitate deeper connections within the app. If it proves successful for Snap, which recently announced reaching 850 million active users, there’s potential for it to be well-received on Instagram as well, tapping into evolving user behaviors.

As mentioned, Instagram has been working on its “Friend Map” feature for a while, with initial testing elements identified in November of last year. More advanced screenshots emerged in February when Instagram officially confirmed the development of the display.

Now, it’s live for select users.

Will it be a success? There’s clear logic in targeting the social habits of teens, who tend to be more active than most adult users. However, the feature does come with inherent risks that I would be cautious about if I were Meta.

For now, it’s just a test, and Instagram will be closely monitoring this feature as it observes initial usage patterns.