Instagram updates its map feature to make it easier to tell if you share your location

Instagram announced Monday that it is updating its map feature to make it easier to see if you share your location. The social network also announced that it is launching the Snap Map-like feature to users in India, following the initial rollout to users in the United States and Canada in August.

When the feature first launched, it caused widespread confusion, with many social media posts urging users to turn off location sharing, falsely claiming that it was enabled by default. At the time, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri reassured users that their location is only visible if they choose to share it.

Now, two months later, Instagram is adding a larger indicator to the top of the map to remind users whether or not they’re sharing their location, or if they have their device’s location entirely. There is also a new indicator that appears under their profile picture in the notes tray on the DMS page that clarifies if they are not sharing their location.

Additionally, users initially believed that tagging a location in their posts meant they were sharing their real-time location on the map, as their profile picture would appear on the content. However, this is not the case as the feature simply pulls posts with location tags. To reduce confusion, Instagram has now removed profile photos from MAP content to make it clear that it does not indicate someone’s current location.

Instagram will also display an educational reminder informing users that when they add a location tag to a Story, Reel or Post, it will populate on the map. It’s worth noting that this isn’t exactly new, as Instagram already had location tags visible to users in its map view.

And to make it even clearer, Instagram will now display a preview to show users how their content will look on the map when they add a location to Instagram content.

With its new MAP feature, Instagram has copied another popular Snapchat feature, after cloning the app’s main Stories feature in 2016.

When Instagram announced the feature, it said it was designed to make it easier for friends to coordinate and connect with each other. It also allows users to explore location-based content that their friends and favorite creators have shared or engaged with.

Whether you choose to share your location, you can use the map to explore location-based content, Instagram said.