Instagram has launched a Nicknames feature for DMs, allowing you to assign unique nicknames to yourself or your friends, customized for each chat. pic.twitter.com/e96yakMqtL
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 25, 2024
Instagram is introducing a new feature that allows users to share their live location with friends and family directly from the social network. This new functionality is included among several updates to Instagram’s direct messages. The company stated that the feature aims to simplify arranging meetups by allowing users to share their real-time location with ease.
“Spend more time together, and less time coordinating,” the post reads.
New sticker packs and nicknames make it even easier (and more fun) to connect with friends through @instagram DMs.https://t.co/lxHBRZEMex pic.twitter.com/axd1bE6Do6
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) November 25, 2024
For privacy reasons, the location can only be shared through direct messages or group chats, and it is turned off by default. The real-time location sharing lasts for one hour, after which it automatically stops.
Instagram will also display an indicator to show when the location is being shared. Users are advised not to share their location with people they do not know. Unlike Apple’s Find My, Instagram’s location-sharing feature does not offer an option to always share your location with others.
Instagram just announced new DM updates:
👉🏻 New stickers
👉🏻 New nicknames
👉🏻 1hr location sharing pic.twitter.com/wHyqVhgh3k— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) November 25, 2024
Currently, this feature is only available in selected countries, and users need to ensure they have the latest version of the app to access it.
New location-sharing feature explained
Additionally, Instagram is adding new sticker packs for direct messages and custom nicknames for people in group chats.
There are 17 new sticker packs with over 300 stickers to share in your DMs when words just aren’t enough. You’ll also be able to favorite stickers from your chats, so you can reuse stickers shared by friends or ones you’ve created. You can now customize names across Instagram DMs by adding nicknames for yourself or friends.
Share an inside joke with a nickname, or simplify lengthy usernames so your friends are easier to recognize. To create a nickname, tap on the chat name at the top of your conversation, then tap “Nicknames” and select the username of the person in the chat for whom you want to add a nickname. Nicknames only appear in your DM chats and won’t change your username elsewhere on IG.
You can change your nickname at any time and can decide who in a chat is able to change the nickname. These updates are designed to facilitate holiday engagement and capitalize on the rising use of DMs within the app, which has become a primary communication tool on Instagram. For the latest updates, make sure to keep your Instagram app updated.
Head to the Instagram blog to learn more about the different ways you can connect through the app.