Meta has launched a new searchable map to all Instagram users

Meta has launched an advanced search and interactive map on Instagram.

The company revealed this on CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram Story page. Mark says, “You can now discover popular and local businesses near you and filter by categories.”

Before now, the Instagram map only displayed posts. The enhanced map interface now allows users to search the map, access filtering options, and move the map around to see what’s nearby.

With the new update will give users a richer experience as they find popular places and businesses around them using tagged posts, stories and guides.

Meta says users can also search for specific hashtags to find relevant locations on the map.

You can find a new location by clicking on the location tag in a post in your feed or story. On the Explore page, you can also type in the name of a city, neighbourhood, or location.

Instagram also allows hashtag searches to work with local hashtags, and all you need to do is type in “#+specific area” in the search bar. You can also browse recent stories, top posts and relevant guides of tagged locations to learn more.

When you find a place that interests you, you can save it and visit it later. You can also use private messages to share your location with friends or groups.

Furthermore, if your profile is public, you can include location tags or stickers in your content to make it visible to others on the map. Which is a similar feature on Snapchat that allows you to post public stories related to a specific location.

Meta began testing the enhanced map in selected countries last year, but according to Zuckerberg’s Story, the company is now rolling it out to all users globally.

As the company rolls out the new update to all users this will see more people navigate from the usual Google Map to using social media apps for location such as a new restaurant the area and the likes.