Instagram to soon bring a Snap Maps like feature. What is it and how will it work?

livemint.com:

Turkey suddenly reinstates access to Instagram after more than a weekInstagram will allow users to choose the specific group of people they want to share their location with like ‘Close friends’ or ‘only followers they follow back’, a Meta spokesperson told The Verge. They also stated that Instagram is building this feature with “safety in mind," while staying mum on more details regarding the feature. The report states that Instagram's new feature will be opt-in and is only available as a ‘small test’ in a few markets.

However, this isn't the first time that this feature has been spotted. An earlier report in February had hinted about the Meta owned social media behemoth working on a ‘Friend Map’ feature being tested. Instagram also had a similar sort of a photo feature in 2012 which allowed users to place all their images on a map but this feature was completely private and could not be shared with friends.

This feature was ultimately shut down in 2016 due to low usage. Also Read | Meta and Google’s covert ‘Ad Campaign’ targeted teens, violating their own policies: ReportNotably, this isn't the first time that Instagram is copying a feature from one of its competitors. Some of the app's most popular features like Reels and Stories were also inspired from TikTok and Snapchat respectively.