Facebook’s Nearby Friends feature, which allows people to share their current location with other Facebook users, will no longer be available as of May 31 of this year. According to user reports on social media platforms, the Meta-owned company has begun notifying users of the outage of Nearby Friends and other location-based features. This function allows users to track the real-time location of their friends. Once enabled, users will be notified when their friends are near their current location. Along with Nearby Friends, Facebook will also turn off weather alerts, location history, and background location.
According to many users posted on TwitterFacebook is said to have announced the discontinuation of the Nearby Friends feature through a notice on the Facebook application. The feature to help users detect which friends are nearby or on the go will no longer be available as of May 31, 2022, the company said in a notice sent to users.
Other location-based functions including Weather Alerts, Location History and Background Location will also disappear from the platform. The company has provided until August 1 this year for users to download their data including location history. Then it will be removed. However, Facebook has clarified that it will continue to collect users’ location information for ‘other experiences’.
Facebook started to roll Friends nearby feature on both iOS and Android in 2014. Optional functionality that shows which friends are nearby or on the go. After enabling Nearby Friends, you’ll sometimes be notified when friends are nearby, so you can contact them and meet up. In addition, you can see when your friends are traveling and see the city they are in.
Recently, the company reported announced they plan to shut down their podcast platform less than a year after launch. The move is part of a broader re-evaluation of Facebook’s audio products. Last year, Facebook launched podcasts and live audio streams in the US to engage users on its platform and compete with emerging competitors.
