Instagram has started rolling out its Map feature in India, giving users a new way to share their last active location with friends and discover posts tagged to nearby places. First introduced in select countries back in August, the feature is now live in India with extra privacy settings to ensure users have more control over who can see their location.
How the Map Feature Works
The Instagram Map takes inspiration from Snapchat’s Snap Map, letting you:
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Share your last active location with selected friends or groups
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Explore posts, Reels, Stories, and Notes tagged to specific places
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See location-based content from friends and creators that stays visible for 24 hours
You can access the feature through the DM inbox icon in the app.
Privacy and Parental Controls
Instagram has built in several privacy options for Indian users:
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Share your location only with specific friends
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Block location sharing in certain areas
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Turn the feature off completely
For teens with supervised accounts, parents will get notified if location sharing is enabled and can manage the permissions.
New Indicators to Avoid Confusion
To make things clearer, Instagram has added visible indicators:
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A status bar at the top of the Map shows if your location is on or off
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A marker under your profile photo in Notes signals when location isn’t being shared
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Profile pictures no longer appear over tagged posts, preventing people from mistaking them for live locations
There’s also an educational reminder that explains how adding a location tag to a Story, Reel, or Post will make it visible on the Map. Users can preview their tagged content before posting, so they know exactly how it will appear.
Availability in India
The update is rolling out to both iOS and Android users in India in phases. If you don’t see it yet, it should appear on your app soon. For those who don’t want to use it at all, location permissions for Instagram can be disabled from your phone’s settings.
The Bottom Line
With the Map feature, Instagram is giving Indian users a new way to connect and discover content by location, while also focusing on stronger privacy and transparency tools.
