Instagram has begun rolling out new features to enhance its user experience by making it social and interactive. Recent updates to the platform have introduced notable innovations such as content resharing and map-based location sharing. This move aims to directly address the dynamics that young users are accustomed to.

Popular Snapchat Feature Coming to Instagram

Among the innovations is the Repost feature. Similar to Twitter’s Retweet function, this system allows users to reshare public Reels videos and posts on their own profiles.

Shared content also appears as suggestions in follower feeds. Each user’s profile also has a dedicated tab for Reposted content, making it easy to access reposted content from the past.

Another significant innovation on Instagram is the map-based location sharing feature, inspired by Snapchat. This system allows users to share their real-time locations with their friends. The feature is disabled by default. Location sharing can be customized to both specific people and locations.

When location sharing is enabled, the location is automatically updated when the user opens the app or exits the background. Parental control options are also available for young users. Parents can see who their children are sharing their location with and limit their use of the feature.

Even without location sharing, location-tagged Reels, posts, and stories from followed users can be viewed on the map for 24 hours. The Map tab is positioned directly above the message inbox. The feature is currently only available in the US, but plans to roll it out globally to all users soon.

Meanwhile, Instagram is also introducing a new feature for Reels. This new section, called the “Friends” tab, brings together public content users’ friends are interacting with and generated Blend recommendations. This allows users to directly see what content their close circle is interested in. The feature is now available to all users globally.