Instagram officially rolls out new repost, location map, friends tab features

You can choose to responsibly share your location with friends you pick using the Instagram map.

Meta-owned platform Instagram has officially rolled out a series of new features aimed at making the platform feel more social and interactive again.

In a communication on August 6, Instagram introduced the repost button, location sharing map and a new friends tab in reels.

“Today, we’re launching several new ways to help you better connect with your friends on Instagram. People have always come to Instagram to share what they’re up to and where they are,” they stated.

“Now, with reposts, the map, and “friends” tab in reels, it is easier for you and your friends to stay in touch through the content you’re enjoying on Instagram.”

With the new features, you can repost public reels and feed posts, making it easier for you to share your interests with your friends.

The reposts in the platform will be recommended to your friends’ and followers’ feeds as they will also be in a separate tab on your profile. This way, one can always go back to revisit your reposts.

“Reposts are credited to the original poster. If you’re a creator, this means that if your content is reposted by someone else, it may be recommended to that person’s followers even if they don’t follow you,” Instagram said.

This new feature rollout by the Meta-owned platform gives creators a new opportunity to reach more people whenever they create something worth sharing.

“To repost a reel or post, one is required to tap the repost icon and can also add a note to the repost by typing into the thought bubble that appears on screen then pressing save,” it said.

Consequently, you can stay up to date with friends using the Instagram map since you can opt into sharing your last active location with friends you pick, and can also turn it off anytime.

Instagram users can also open the map to see the content friends and favorite creators are posting from cool spots.

This they said while noting that no matter how you use the map, you and your friends have a new easier way to connect with each other.

The location sharing will, however, be off unless you opt in.

“If you do share location with friends, you have controls to choose who you share your location with and can choose not to share location is specific places or with specific people,” Instagram said.

However, if you use location sharing, your location is updated whenever you open the app or return to the app if it’s been running in the background and you can turn off the location sharing at any time.

They further noted that if you are a parent with supervision set up for your teen, you have control over their location-sharing experience on the map.

 This way, parents will be able to receive a notification if their teen starts sharing their location.

“ You can decide whether your teen has access to location sharing on the map and see who your teen is sharing their location with," Instagram noted.

"You can find the Instagram map at the top of your DM inbox. This feature is rolling out to the US today, with more global availability soon."

For the 'friends' feature, you are able to see public content your friends have interacted with or recommendations from blends you have started and easily start conversations about them.

The friends feature will help users to see which reels the people you care about most are creating and are engaging with.

"Tap the “Friends” tab at the top of Reels to access your tab. To return to your usual reels feed, tap the “Reels” tab," they said.

They further indicated that they are also rolling out controls for what’s shown in the Friends tab, including controls for hiding your own likes and comments on reels as well as muting activity bubbles from specific people you follow.