Instagram brings Map feature to India: What is it, how it works and more

Instagram brings Map feature to India: What is it, how it works and more

Instagram has officially rolled out its Map feature in India, giving users a new way to stay connected through shared locations and local content. First launched in August 2025, Instagram Map lets users share their last active location with selected friends, discover content from interesting places, and view updates from creators on the map.

The latest rollout in India comes with several privacy-focused improvements and user education updates to make location-sharing more transparent and easier to manage.

As mentioned above, the feature is now rolling out to all users in India. However, the rollout is expected to happen in a phased manner and it might take a while to show up for every user.

To know if the feature is available, check for the persistent indicator at the top of the map to show whether users are sharing their location, not sharing it, or if their device location is turned off. This visible reminder ensures users always know their current sharing status.

Additionally, an indicator under the profile photo in the Notes tray now clarifies if the user’s location is not being shared, helping prevent confusion among friends.

The update also addresses a common misunderstanding — users previously believed that tagging a location in their posts automatically shared their live location on the map. To fix this, Instagram has removed profile photos from appearing on top of tagged content, making it clear that a location tag doesn’t mean active location sharing.

To further enhance clarity, Instagram now shows an educational reminder whenever users add a location tag to a story, reel, or post. This reminder explains that tagged content will appear on the map, but it doesn’t mean real-time location sharing.

The company has also introduced a preview feature that lets users see exactly how their tagged content will look on the map before posting.