Instagram has finally added support for sharing live locations on the app. It is better late than never, given that the tool has been available on Google Maps, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and many other social media apps. You can now share your live location on Instagram for free, whether going home from work, meeting up with your friends, or traveling.
Instagram location sharing started rolling out for select people on November 25. It is available in a few countries, but we expect an expansion soon. Nevertheless, you can check using the guide below to see if the feature is available in your country, and if it is, here are the things you need to know.
Everything you need to know about sharing live location on Instagram
- The share live location button on Instagram will let you send your current location to your family or friends for an hour. While you can decide to continue sharing your location on Google Maps, Instagram limits the time to an hour. Meanwhile, you can share a pin so your friends can see how far you are from the meeting point.
- Instagram allows you to share your live location with individuals and in a group chat. However, those you have shared your whereabouts with cannot forward it to another person. Of course, you can cancel the live location anytime, but ensure it is the right person before pressing the send button.
- If you are worried that your Teen might start using the function to share their live location, Instagram thought about that too. Your child can only share with an adult they follow or other teens. Meanwhile, we recommend directing them to the recently launched Instagram Teens Account. It is for users aged 13 to 17 and will only receive messages from accounts they have followed or interacted with. Ultimately, you can supervise your kid’s activities on the app via this method for free.
- When someone is added to a group, they will not see previously shared locations but can see an ongoing one. A live location cannot be shared for more than an hour.
- According to Meta, when your location services are enabled, they “may receive information about your precise location through things like: your GPS location, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connection. You can change this at any time in your device settings.”
- When a location is shared in a chat, a push notification will be sent to others. Perhaps when sharing your whereabouts in a group, everyone will be notified, the same as when you share with a single Individual. There will be an indicator on your control center when the live location is ongoing.
How to share live locations on Instagram and monitor someone
- Head to Instagram and open the conversation with the person or group you want to share your precise location with.
- Tap on the + icon at the bottom.
- Tap on Location. Remember, you can only share your live location for an hour on Instagram. You can use Google Maps to share it for an extended period.
- Tap Share Location when you are ready, and it will send as a message.
- When others view the message, they can share their location by tapping share location below the maps.
Once the duration expires, your whereabouts will no longer be visible to anyone. Of course, you can initiate a new session, and you will see a larger map with your live location and the duration when you Tap View Location below your message.
