The company has started notifying users about the discontinuation of the Near Friends feature and other location-based features.
Facebook will close Near Friends: Many unique and useful features are going to be closed on the social media platform Facebook from May 31. These include Facebook’s Near Friends feature, which allows people to share their current location with other Facebook users. According to the report, the company has started notifying users about turning off the Near Friends feature and other location-based features.
What are Facebook Nearby Friends?
Nearby Friends functionality allows users to track the real-time location of their friends. Once enabled, this feature notifies users when their friends are near their current location. The company has given users time till August 1 this year to download their data including location history, after which it will be deleted. Facebook has stressed, however, that it will continue to gather users’ location data for other purposes. The business informed consumers that this service, which aids users in finding their location, will be discontinued on May 31, 2022.
Facebook started rolling out the Near Friends feature on both iOS and Android platforms in 2014. Optional functionality lets the user know which friends are nearby or on the go. Once users turn on the Nearby Friends feature, they are notified when friends are around, so that users can contact and meet them when needed.
These features of Facebook are also going to stop
Apart from the Near Friends feature, Facebook is also going to stop some other features. These include weather alerts, location history, and background location. Let us tell you that all these are location-based functions and are disappearing from the platform. The company has given users till August 1 this year to download their data including location history. After that, it will be removed. However, Facebook has made it clear that it will continue to collect users’ location information for other experiences.