Instagram is rolling out its interactive Map feature in India, along with enhanced privacy indicators to help users better understand when their location is being shared.
The move follows earlier confusion during the feature’s initial launch in the U.S. and Canada in August, when viral posts incorrectly claimed that Instagram was automatically sharing users’ live locations. Instagram head Adam Mosseri had clarified that the feature only displays location information when users explicitly choose to share it.
To reinforce this, the platform is adding clearer visual cues. A new label at the top of the Map will indicate whether a user’s location is currently being shared or if device location is off. Additionally, users will see an indicator under their profile photo in the Notes tray on the DMs page when location sharing is disabled.
Instagram is also removing profile photos from posts on the Map after many users mistakenly believed these icons revealed their live locations. The update clarifies that location tags only show where content was posted, not a user’s current position.
A new educational prompt will now explain how location tags on Stories, Reels, and posts appear on the Map, with a preview feature showing how shared content will look before it’s published.
According to Instagram, the feature aims to make it easier for users to discover posts from specific places, coordinate meetups, and explore local content shared by friends and creators — all while maintaining control over their own location visibility.
Recent Random Post:
