Facebook’s Nearby Friends feature allowed users to see which of their Facebook friends were geographically close to them at any given time. This feature was introduced in 2014, but in recent years Facebook has removed and changed many location-based features, leading many users to wonder if Nearby Friends still exists.
What was Nearby Friends?
Facebook’s Nearby Friends was an opt-in feature that allowed users to share their locations with friends. When enabled, the feature showed users a list of friends who were nearby, defined as within one mile. Users could click on each nearby friend to see their location on a map and get directions to them. The feature required both users to opt in for either to see the other.
The purpose of Nearby Friends was to allow Facebook users to easily see when their friends were close by to coordinate spontaneous meetups or socializing. It marked Facebook’s move into more location-based, spontaneous social connections.
When was Nearby Friends introduced?
Facebook first began testing Nearby Friends in select locations in April 2014. They officially rolled out the feature to all users worldwide in June 2014.
How did Nearby Friends work?
To use Nearby Friends, users had to opt in to location sharing in their Facebook settings. This allowed Facebook to track their device’s location using GPS, WiFi networks, cell towers, and other location services.
When a user opted in and had location services enabled, their device periodically sent their location data back to Facebook. This allowed Facebook to maintain a database of where each user currently was located.
When viewing the Nearby Friends feature, Facebook would query this location database to see which friends were within approximately 1 mile of each other. It would then show these geographically close friends in the Nearby Friends list.
Tapping on a nearby friend would bring up a map view. This allowed users to see exactly where that friend was located and get directions right within Facebook.
What privacy concerns existed around Nearby Friends?
While innovative, Nearby Friends raised some privacy concerns among users and critics:
- Location tracking – Some users felt uncomfortable having Facebook constantly collect their location in the background.
- Unwanted interactions – Users could potentially show up uninvited to the location of a friend if they saw them nearby.
- Battery drain – Constant background location tracking could drain a device’s battery faster.
- Data usage – Nearby Friends used cellular data to frequently transmit user locations back to Facebook.
To alleviate privacy concerns, Facebook emphasized that Nearby Friends was an opt-in feature only. Users had to proactively enable location tracking and sharing for it to work.
When did Facebook remove Nearby Friends?
In late 2019, Facebook began rolling out an updated, simplified version of its interface and features across its apps. This overhaul removed many location-based capabilities, including Nearby Friends.
By early 2020, the Nearby Friends feature had been completely removed from Facebook’s web and mobile apps. It is no longer possible for users to see a feed of their geographically nearby friends.
Why did Facebook remove Nearby Friends?
Facebook has not officially commented on why they removed Nearby Friends or other location features. However, a few key reasons seem likely:
- Declining popularity – Usage of location features like Nearby Friends had steadily declined over the years.
- Privacy concerns – Location tracking remained controversial, so removing it avoided criticism.
- Simplification – Removing niche features simplified Facebook’s interface and app design.
Removing Nearby Friends aligned with Facebook’s broader efforts to streamline their overcomplicated apps and remove APIs and access points that exposed user data.
What location features does Facebook still have?
While Nearby Friends is gone, Facebook does still have some limited location features:
- Location tagging in posts – Users can add their location when creating a post.
- Location pages – Public figures, businesses, and places can have a location page showing a map.
- Events – Event pages can include the location they are being held at.
- Find WiFi feature – Helps users locate nearby WiFi hotspots.
However, Facebook no longer has any features that show users the live locations of their friends or live location sharing capabilities.
Can you see nearby friends on Messenger?
Facebook Messenger previously had a similar Nearby Friends feature called Location Sharing. This allowed opt-in users to view a map showing which friends were geographically close to them.
However, in late 2019 Facebook removed the Nearby Friends/Location Sharing feature from Messenger as well. It is no longer possible to view nearby friends in Messenger.
What apps have live location sharing now?
While Facebook has moved away from live location sharing, some other apps still offer it for coordinating meetups with friends and family:
| App | Location Sharing Features |
|---|---|
| Snapchat | Snap Map lets you share your live location temporarily or permanently with friends. |
| Live Location sharing lets you share your real-time location with individual or group chats. | |
| Apple Find My | Find My Friends and Share My Location allow temporary location sharing between iOS users. |
| Google Maps | Location sharing lets you share live location with friends via Google Maps. |
Could Nearby Friends return someday?
While Nearby Friends currently remains removed from Facebook, it’s possible the feature could return someday if Facebook decides to re-emphasis location-based social connections.
They bought map app Glancee back in 2012, which eventually became Nearby Friends, indicating an ongoing interest in hyperlocal social features. The growth in usage of other location sharing apps like Snapchat could motivate Facebook to bring back something similar.
However, given the current climate around privacy concerns, any future location-sharing features on Facebook would likely be opt-in only and give users granular control over who can view their location.
Conclusion
Facebook’s Nearby Friends feature once enabled users to view live locations of nearby friends for spontaneous meetups. However, it was removed in 2019 along with other location APIs as part of Facebook’s simplification efforts and response to privacy concerns.
While users today cannot see or share locations directly on Facebook, some alternatives like Snapchat and WhatsApp still offer live location sharing features. Facebook may someday reintroduce location APIs, but they would likely emphasize user control over privacy first and foremost.
For now, those looking to coordinate spontaneous hangouts via location sharing will need to turn to third-party apps. The era of Facebook Nearby Friends has passed, but its spirit lives on in other map-based social networks.