Instagram has launched a “map search” feature that will help you find nearby places to visit, such as restaurants, cafes or parks, based on your location. The feature shows nearby popular places on the navigation screen. Using search, this feature also shows popular businesses related to the hashtags you’re searching for.
The updated map search function was added to reveal the usage pattern of many local people who use Instagram as a platform to share memories of various places, such as restaurants, places of interest or accommodation through hashtags, and to search for places.
The map search function can be used in two ways. The first is through the navigation tab (or Explore tab). We have added a map icon to the top right corner of the navigation tab. If you press it, you will be able to take a look at popular places with many hashtags, classified by categories, such as restaurants, cafes and other places of interest, near your current location.
You can also search by hashtag. For example, when the hashtag #restaurant is searched for a recommendation, places published with that hashtag are displayed on the search results page. People can discover businesses in these two ways, and can also learn more by visiting the business’s Instagram account. The map search feature will first be introduced in countries such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and Portugal, but will be expanded to others in the future.
This new map search feature is also an opportunity for small business owners to reach more potential customers, and for the community to discover new places in their area more efficiently. Instagram continues to strive so that more and more people can find the products and services they are interested in, as well as communicate with brands.
