In recent years, Facebook has shut down several of its location-based features like Nearby Friends, Find Friends Nearby, and Live Location sharing. This has led many users to wonder if Nearby Friends will be the next product on the chopping block.
Nearby Friends allows Facebook users to share their location in real-time with friends and family. It gives users the ability to see which of their friends are nearby and facilitates meetups. The feature has its roots in Facebook Places which was launched in 2010 as the company’s first location-based product.
In this article, we’ll examine the evidence around whether Nearby Friends is being sunsetted by Facebook in the near future.
The Case For Nearby Friends Being Discontinued
Here are some signs indicating that Facebook may retire Nearby Friends:
Other location-sharing features removed
As mentioned, Facebook has already discontinued related products like Nearby Friends finder, Live Location sharing, and Location History. This points to a shift away from location-based social features in their mobile app.
Decreased engagement
While Facebook hasn’t published any stats, it’s likely that usage of Nearby Friends has dropped off over the years as other location-sharing apps like Snapchat and Zenly have become more popular. Lower engagement makes it more likely that Facebook will end support.
Privacy concerns
Sharing locations raises privacy questions for many users. Facebook is trying to improve its reputation around user data, so removing Nearby Friends could help on this front.
Resource reallocation
Facebook may want to direct resources towards more promising products and new initiatives around the metaverse rather than maintaining Nearby Friends.
The Case For Nearby Friends Continuing
However, there are also good reasons why Nearby Friends will remain available:
User demand
Despite decreased usage, Nearby Friends still has a subset of engaged users who find value in the feature. Facebook has to balance removing low-use products with serving customers who rely on them.
Differentiated use case
Nearby Friends has a distinct use case from other location-sharing apps. It taps into an existing social graph rather than requiring new friend connections.
Valuable data source
Location data from Nearby Friends can provide insights that improve Facebook’s targeting and feed relevance. This data holds value even if engagement declines.
Remote communication trend
The pandemic accelerated remote communication and digital hangouts. Nearby Friends enables local meetups and could see a resurgence supporting hybrid remote/in-person connection.
Nearby Friends Usage and Statistics
Unfortunately Facebook does not share public statistics on Nearby Friends adoption and usage trends. However, we can make some educated guesses at the current state:
– Total users: likely tens of millions worldwide. Nearby Friends launched nearly a decade ago and is available globally. Even a small % adoption of 2B+ Facebook users is tens of millions.
– Monthly active users: likely single digit millions. Engagement has probably dropped substantially from the initial launch.
– Demographics: likely younger users. Younger generations are more comfortbale with location-sharing apps.
Without access to Facebook’s internal data, it’s impossible to know precise user numbers. But we can surmise that total usage is relatively substantial while monthly engagement continues to decline as users shift to newer location-based apps.
The Fate of Other Discontinued Facebook Location Features
To gauge how Facebook might handle Nearby Friends, let’s look at what happened to its other location-sharing products that were shut down:
Nearby Friends Finder
This opt-in feature allowed people to browse locations of nearby Facebook friends on a map. It was removed in 2017 amidst user privacy concerns.
Live Location Sharing
Introduced in 2017, this allowed users to share a real-time view of their location with friends via Facebook Messenger. It was discontinued in 2019.
Location History
This showed users their location history on a private map. It was introduced in 2014 and shut down in 2019 following data privacy backlash.
Based on this pattern, we can expect that if Facebook does discontinue Nearby Friends, the actual location-sharing functionality will be removed but users will still have access to their historical location data. Facebook will preserve user data while backtracking on real-time location sharing features.
What Facebook is Saying About Nearby Friends
Facebook has not made any public statements announcing plans to remove or replace Nearby Friends. The product is still included in Facebook’s help documentation with no indications of upcoming changes.
In May 2022, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the company was killing Live Location sharing but had this to say about Nearby Friends:
“People can still use Nearby Friends if they choose to keep that setting on.”
The phrasing hints that Nearby Friends may not be a strategic priority going forward but the spokesperson stopped short of saying it would be shut down. The official word from Facebook suggests Nearby Friends will remain available for the foreseeable future.
The Impact of Discontinuing Nearby Friends
If Facebook does decide to sunset Nearby Friends, the main impacts would likely be:
Reduced location data collection
Without Nearby Friends, Facebook would gather less real-time location data on its users. However, they would still receive location data from posts, check-ins, etc.
Loss of differentiation from other apps
Nearby Friends offers proximity-based connections between existing friends rather than just friend discovery. Removing this would make Facebook’s social location features more generic.
User backlash
As with previous location feature removals, some subset of engaged Nearby Friends users would likely complain about Facebook taking away a valued product.
Shift in local meetup usage
Users would have one less option for coordinating spontaneous, in-person meetups with Facebook friends. They may switch to using alternatives instead.
Will Facebook Add a Replacement for Nearby Friends?
Based on Facebook’s track record, it’s unlikely the company would create a direct replacement for Nearby Friends if it gets discontinued.
When Facebook removed other location sharing features, they didn’t launch revamped versions to address user concerns. More likely, they would encourage adoption of Facebook Events, Messenger, and Groups for local meetups instead.
Facebook’s focus seems to be on more asynchronous location sharing via places check-ins rather than real-time location access among friends. Any new location-based offerings would probably differentiate from Nearby Friends.
Of course, Facebook could always surprise us. But don’t expect a new “Nearby Friends 2.0” to appear if the existing feature goes away.
Prediction: Nearby Friends Usage Will Gradually Decline
Given the continued user demand and Facebook’s lack of indication about removing Nearby Friends, outright shutdown seems unlikely in the immediate term.
However, our prediction is that Facebook will allow Nearby Friends to persist but slowly phase it out over time by:
– Removing it from prominence in the Facebook mobile app
– Diverting resources away from development and maintenance
– Letting organic usage decline over years as users move to other tools
Eventually engagement will fall low enough that Facebook can discontinue Nearby Friends without much backlash, similar to the phase out of their other location-sharing features.
So in summary, Nearby Friends will likely stick around but its best days are probably behind it unless Facebook invests heavily in a relaunch. Expect to see it fade into the background rather than being abruptly shut off.
Key Takeaways
– Facebook has discontinued related location-sharing products like Nearby Friends Finder. However, Nearby Friends itself remains available.
– Usage of Nearby Friends has likely dropped over the years but some engaged users still find value.
– Facebook says Nearby Friends will stick around but may not be investing much in its continued growth.
– If removed, Facebook probably won’t build a direct replacement feature due to shifted priorities.
– Our prediction is that Nearby Friends will be gradually phased out over time rather than suddenly discontinued.
So Nearby Friends is probably safe for now, but don’t be surprised if Facebook eventually retires it without a successor feature. Usage trends will determine if or when that happens.
Conclusion
While Facebook has stepped back from location sharing in recent years, Nearby Friends still hangs on despite the shutdown of related products. Facebook claims there are no current plans to discontinue it, though they may let it slowly fade in prominence.
Engagement and privacy considerations will ultimately decide Nearby Friends’ fate. For now, users who find value in coordinating meetups with Facebook friends locally can continue to utilize the feature. But its long-term viability remains questionable as social media preferences evolve.
Though it’s unlikely to disappear overnight, be prepared for Nearby Friends to go the way of Live Location and other deprecated location features. Facebook will gradually deemphasize real-time location sharing as other apps claim that space. Enjoy Nearby Friends while you can, but don’t expect it to be around forever.