Instagram Map Feature Rolling Out in India Alongside Privacy Tools: Here's How It Works

Instagram's Map feature is rolling out in India, giving users the option to share their last active location with friends and explore posts tagged to specific places. The feature, first introduced in select regions in August, is now available in India with improved privacy controls. Users can choose to share their location with selected friends or groups, offering more control over visibility. The Instagram Map takes inspiration from Snapchat's Snap Map, helping users discover nearby content and stay connected through location-based sharing.

Instagram's Map Feature Now Includes Location Indicator

The new location-based feature on Instagram is rolling out in India, allowing users to share their most recent location with friends and explore posts tagged to specific places. Launched globally in August, the feature now lets Indian users control who can see their location by sharing it only with selected friends or groups.

Gadgets 360 has confirmed that the feature is available for both iOS and Android smartphones. If it doesn't appear immediately, it should reach your account soon, as this appears to be a phased rollout. It's worth noting that if you want to disable the feature completely on your smartphone, you can disable the location permission for the Instagram app on your smartphone.

The Map feature allows users to customise sharing settings. They can select specific people to share with, block sharing in certain areas, or turn it off completely. For supervised teen accounts, parents are notified when location sharing is enabled and can manage permissions.

Users can also explore Reels, Stories, Notes, and posts tagged with locations by friends and creators. Content on the Map remains visible for 24 hours and can be accessed via the DM inbox icon.

Alongside the new rollout, Instagram has added several improvements to make location sharing clearer and reduce confusion. A persistent indicator at the top of the Map shows whether location sharing is on or off, while another indicator beneath the profile photo in the Notes tray signals when location is not being shared. Profile photos no longer appear over tagged content, preventing the assumption that it represents someone's live location.

The update also introduces an educational reminder explaining that adding a location tag to a Story, Reel, or Post places it on the Map. Users can now preview how their tagged content will appear before publishing, enhancing transparency and clarity in location sharing.