Instagram has announced new features including Instagram Reposts, the Instagram Map, and a Friends tab in Reels. The company reported that these updates aim to make it easier for users to share content and stay connected with friends.

With Instagram Reposts, users can share public Reels and feed posts directly with their friends. These reposts will appear in friends’ and followers’ feeds and in a separate tab on the user’s profile. This allows users to revisit their reposts at any time. Reposts are credited to the original poster. Creators may benefit from reposts as their content could reach more people, even those who do not follow them. To repost a Reel or post, users can tap the repost icon and add a note before saving.

The Instagram Map has also been introduced to help users connect through location-based content. Users can choose to share their last active location with selected friends and can turn this feature off at any time. Location sharing is off by default. Instagram revealed that users can customize location sharing by:

• Choosing who can see their location (friends, Close Friends, selected friends, or no one)
• Excluding specific places or people from location sharing

If enabled, the location updates when the app is opened or brought back from the background. Parents with supervision controls will be notified if their teen starts location sharing. They can also decide if the teen can access this feature and review who they share their location with. Regardless of sharing preferences, all users can explore location-tagged content such as Reels, posts, and stories from friends or creators. The map feature is now available in the US and will roll out globally.

Additionally, Instagram has launched the Friends tab in Reels. This feature displays public content friends have interacted with and recommendations from Blends. Users can switch between the Friends tab and the main Reels feed by tapping the respective tabs. Instagram is also rolling out controls to hide likes and comments in the Friends tab and mute activity from specific people.

The updates, including Instagram Reposts, the Instagram Map, and the Friends tab, are available to some users now, with wider availability expected soon.

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