Facebook’s Nearby Friends feature, which allows users to communicate their current location to other Facebook users, will cease to be accessible from May 31 of this year. According to user feedback through social platforms, The Meta-controlled company has begun to inform users of the ending in Nearby Friends and other location-based features. The feature allows users to monitor their friends’ real-time location.
After activation of the feature, users will be informed when their friends are within the range of their current place of residence. In addition to Nearby Friends, Facebook is closing down weather alerts, history of the location, and background location.
According to multiple posts by users via Twitter, Facebook reported that it would be ending Friends Nearby. According to multiple posts on Twitter, Facebook announced the end of the Friends Nearby feature via a message in the Facebook application. According to Facebook, the feature that allows users to find friends who are near or in the vicinity will cease to be available from May 31st, 2022, in a notice sent to users.
Other features that depend on location, such as Weather Alerts, Location History and Background Locations, are disappearing from the app. The company has given users until August 1st of this year to customers to access their data, including their location history. Then, it will be deleted. But, Facebook stated that they would keep capturing data about users’ locations for “other experiences”.
Facebook began rolling out this Nearby Friends feature for iOS and Android in 2014. The feature is optional and shows you who is nearby or travelling. When you enable Nearby Friends, you’ll occasionally be notified of friends in close proximity so that you can connect with them and arrange to meet. Additionally, you’ll be able to track how often your friends are travelling and find out what city they’re in.
Recently, the company has made public that it would end its podcast service less than a year after its launch. This will be part of a wider evaluation of the company’s audio offerings. The year before, Facebook launched podcasts and live audio streams in the US to keep its users interested in its platform and challenge its rivals in the market.
