Instagram has a new feature called the Instagram Map that allows users to share their location with followers, and critics have been vocal about it.
Major US news outlets are reporting on fears that the feature is a safety concern, with some users claiming their location had been shared without their knowledge.
It's unclear when the feature will be rolled out here, but that hasn't stopped Australians wondering about it.
Here's what we know about the feature.
Is the Instagram Map in Australia?
No.
Meta — the company that owns Instagram, along with Facebook and WhatsApp — announced it was launching the feature in the US on August 6.
But Meta hasn't confirmed a release date for Australia yet.
Meta says it's opt-in only
According to Meta, the feature shouldn't be automatically activated on your account.
"To start, location sharing is completely off," Meta's head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said in a post on his personal Instagram account.
"Your location will only be shared if you decide to share it, and if you do, it can only be shared with a limited group of people you choose."
The company says people can choose whether to share their location with followers they follow back or selected users.
But some people say they didn't opt in
Despite this, some users say their locations have been shared without their knowledge.
This includes people in the comments section on Mr Mosseri's Instagram post about the new feature.
Here are some comments from people the ABC has contacted in an attempt to verify their claims:
"Please change the maps feature. It was automatically sharing my location before I knew."
"But the map is NOT an opt in! I don’t even have the feature on my account and I was auto shown to everyone without my consent!!"
"I cant opt out. My location is shared against my will, I haven't consented to it and my location is turned off so WHY AM I STILL SHOWING UP?????"
As of Sunday afternoon, we've not heard back from those users.
The comments feature has been disabled on Mr Mosseri's post.
The ABC understands Meta looked into reports that people's locations were shared without their knowledge and found no underlying issues.
But initial concerns about the feature created a ripple effect on social media.
Some social media account holders have been posting videos warning their followers about the feature, with major US-based outlets featuring stories about how to turn location settings off.
And that sentiment is spreading to Australia.
In the days since the feature was announced, we've seen questions like "how to turn off Instagram location sharing" trending on internet searches among Australians.
How to check if you have Instagram Map
The feature isn't available in Australia, so you probably won't have the feature yet.
If users have the feature on their apps, it'll appear with an icon of the Earth at the top of their Instagram inbox, Meta's statement said.
There should be a gear icon on the top right corner of the map, which should show a symbol to indicate a user's location sharing status
Here's what they mean:
- A blue arrow: You're sharing your location with your selected audience
- A red dot: You're not sharing your location
- An orange triangle: You need to enable location permissions on your device to share your location
How to turn off Instagram location sharing
Meta says location sharing on the Instagram Map feature — which isn't available in Australia — is turned off unless users opt in.
However, you can check whether you've given Instagram access to your location services.
Here's how to check your location sharing settings for Instagram depending on what phone you have:
iPhone
Go to Settings — the grey icon with gears.
Scroll down to Privacy and security — a blue icon with a hand — then tap Location services.
This should take you to a list of apps, so scroll down to select Instagram.
From here, you can select whether you want to allow the app access to your location by selecting one of the following options:
- Never
- Ask next time or when I share
- While using the app
- Always
A tick should appear next to the option you've selected.
You can also turn off a setting called "precise location", which should mean that apps can only determine your "approximate location", Apple says.
Android
Go to your phone's home screen, touch, and then hold the icon for your Instagram app.
Now tap the App info option.
Select Permissions
Select Location
From here, you'll be able to select one of the following options:
- Allow all the time
- Allow only while using the app
- Ask every time
- Don't allow
If you've allowed the app access, you can make its location settings a little vaguer by turning off the Use precise location setting.
If you have the feature on your app and you want to turn it off, go into Map and look for the settings option at the top right of the screen — it should be a gear icon.
From there, a menu should pop up giving you a list of options of who to share with.
If you want to turn off the feature, select the 'No one' option.
There's an option to 'hide'
Meta says people will be given the option to choose up to three locations to hide from their followers.
"You have the option to automatically turn off location sharing when you're in certain places," the company says.
"When you are inside a hidden place, no one will see you on the map."
Users can access this by selecting Settings, going to Options, and tapping Hide places.
Meta says people can decide how large of an area they want this option to apply to.
"You can also hide your location from certain accounts," the company says.
Users can access this by selecting Settings, going to Options, and tapping Hide from.
This should allow users to create a list of people they don't want to see their locations.
