Facebook is making changes to its Nearby Friends feature, removing the map and testing out a new “Wave” option.
In 2014, Facebook launched its Nearby Friends feature for iOS and Android to let users inform select friends on their location and to keep tabs on others.
With the feature, Facebook users could opt-in to sending chosen friends updates on their location using a map, and they could even request to see where their friends were and receive notifications if they were nearby.
However, it now seems that the social network has revamped the feature.
These changes were noticed by Techcrunch, which said that Facebook has removed its original map and now shows users a list of people, with a rough estimate of how far away they are (rather than a more precise indication on a map).
And the app could also be introducing a new “Wave” option, which is said to work similarly to the platform’s “Poke”- it lets users send a small gesture to a Facebook friend, perhaps hinting at a meet-up.
Facebook said: “We are testing a new feature within Nearby Friends allowing people to send their friends a waving hand emoji to say hello and help them meet up.
“This is meant to give people more ways to express themselves, and help friends interact with one another in new fun and lightweight ways.”
And the Facebook Chat bar on desktop was also noted to have changed, as it now displays a list of friends who are nearby.
To read more about these new features please click here.