Instagram introduces a feature similar to WhatsApp, now lets you share your live location

Instagram has rolled out an exciting update, allowing users to share their live location through direct messages (DMs). This feature, already popular on other platforms, is a first for Instagram and comes with privacy-focused controls. Alongside this, Instagram has introduced new sticker packs and a nicknaming feature to make chats more personal and fun.

With Instagram’s live-location sharing, users can share their real-time location for up to one hour in private chats, whether one-on-one or in groups. The feature is particularly useful for coordinating meetups, finding friends at crowded events, or syncing arrival times for outings.

Designed with user privacy in mind, live-location sharing is off by default and can only be viewed by participants in the specific chat. A clear indicator in the chat alerts users when the feature is active, and sharing can be stopped anytime. Instagram emphasises responsible use, urging users to share their location only with trusted friends or family.

This feature is currently available in select countries, although the platform has not disclosed the full list of regions where it is live.

Instagram has also added 17 new sticker packs featuring over 300 creative stickers to enhance conversations. Whether you’re expressing emotions or adding a fun element to your messages, the new stickers can be used directly from chats. You can even reuse favourite stickers shared by friends or created using custom cutouts, offering plenty of ways to get creative in your DMs.

In addition to this, the platform also allows users to assign nicknames to friends or themselves in DMs. Ideal for inside jokes, simplifying long usernames, or adding a personal flair, nicknames are visible only within private chats and won’t affect usernames elsewhere on the app.

To create a nickname, users can simply tap on the chat name at the top of a conversation, select the “Nicknames” option, and set a new name. Users can also manage who can change nicknames in a chat, with the default setting allowing changes only by mutual followers.