Meta rolls out new Instagram features: Here's what you need to know

Dubai: Meta has unveiled a series of new features for Instagram aimed at enhancing how users connect and share with friends. The update includes the ability to repost content, a new location-sharing map, and a dedicated “Friends” tab within Reels.

The new features, Meta says, are designed to make Instagram a more interactive and friend-focused platform.

“People have always come to Instagram to share what they’re up to and where they are. Now, with reposts, the map, and the Friends tab in Reels, it’s easier for you and your friends to stay in touch through the content you’re enjoying,” the company said in a statement.

Instagram users can now easily repost public Reels and feed posts, bringing the popular feature from other platforms to Instagram. Reposted content will appear in a dedicated tab on users’ profiles. It may also be recommended to their followers, offering creators more exposure beyond their immediate audience.

To repost, users can tap the repost icon and optionally add a note using a thought bubble that appears before saving. Reposts are clearly credited to the original poster.

Instagram’s new map feature allows users to share their last active location with selected friends. This opt-in feature gives users complete control over who can see their location — whether that’s all mutual followers, just close friends, or specific individuals. Location sharing can also be turned off at any time and excluded from specific places or people.

Parents using Instagram’s supervision tools will be able to manage their children’s location sharing, including visibility and receiving alerts when sharing is turned on.

The map also acts as a discovery tool, showing Reels, posts, stories, and notes from friends and creators who have tagged a location. The content is visible for 24 hours, and the feature is accessible at the top of the DM inbox. While currently available in the US, Meta says a global rollout is coming soon.

The new “Friends” tab in the Reels aggregates public content that users’ friends have liked, commented on, reposted, or created. Users can also see content shared through their “Blends” and start conversations directly from the tab.

Instagram has also added new privacy controls, allowing users to hide their likes and comments or mute activity from certain followers.