If you're meeting up with friends or heading home, sharing your location through DMs can be a wildly useful feature — and safety method for all ages. It's a tool that's been long available on Google Maps, Snapchat, and pretty much all of the messaging apps out there, and finally, Instagram has added location sharing.
As of Nov. 25, Instagram now lets you send your current whereabouts to your friends for up to an hour, or share a pin so you can see how far you and your mates are from the meeting point — there will be no more "I'm almost there" shenanigans afoot.
Your live location can be shared and unshared to either a solo or group chat, and those you've shared to can't forward this to other chats. And remember, you should never share your location with someone you don't know, whatever age you are.
Importantly, if you're under 13 you can't set up a Instagram account at all. Instagram's recently launched Teen Accounts (for users aged 13 to 17) are automatically set to only receive messages from accounts they follow or have previously connected with. Plus, teens under 16 will need a parent's permission to change any of those strict automatic protections. According to Meta, "Location sharing is off for minors by default. When either an adult or minor turns on location sharing, we include a consistent indicator as a reminder that they're sharing their location."
The feature is available through the Instagram app on iOS and Android in select countries, and is turned off by default. But how do you turn it on? Here's how.
Step 1: Open Instagram.
Step 2: Go to your Messages.
Tap the minimalist paper airplane icon in the top right.
Step 3: Open a chat.
Either a solo or group chat works with this feature.
Step 4: Tap the + button at the bottom of the screen.
Step 5: Tap "Location".
Step 6: Tap "Share your location" to drop it in the chat.
Remember, you can stop sharing your location at any time, and it's a good idea to keep in mind that you'll still be sharing it for an hour after you activate it — even when you've arrived at your destination.
If you can't see the option to share your live location in Instagram, the feature may not have launched in your country yet.
Alternatively, you may need to check if your phone is allowing location sharing. For iPhone users, you'll need to go to Settings, tap Privacy and security, scroll down to Instagram and toggle the switch on. You'll be prompted to select when Instagram is allowed to use your location; select either Never, Always, or While using the app, depending on your preference.
