Facebook Said to Discontinue Nearby Friends Feature, Weather Alerts, More

Facebook's Nearby Friends functionality will no longer be available starting May 31, 2022.

By Nithya P Nair | Updated: 6 May 2022 13:41 IST

Facebook Said to Discontinue Nearby Friends Feature, Weather Alerts, More

Photo Credit: Facebook

Facebook's Nearby Friends feature started rolling out way back in 2014

Highlights

Previously shared location details will be deleted from Facebook
The company has started sending out alerts to users notifying the change
Facebook users can download their location data until August 1

Facebook's Nearby Friends feature that lets people share their current location with other Facebook users, will no longer be available starting May 31 this year. As per user reports on social media platforms, the Meta owned company has started informing users about the discontinuation of Nearby Friends and other location-based features. The functionality allows users to track their friend's real time location. Once enabled, users will be notified when their friends are in the proximity range of their current location. Along with Nearby Friends, Facebook is also shutting down weather alerts, location history, and background location.

As per multiple user posts on Twitter, Facebook reportedly announced the discontinuation of the Friends Nearby feature via a notification on the Facebook app. The feature that helps users to discover which friends are nearby or on the go will no longer be available starting May 31, 2022, said the company in a notification sent to users.

Other location-based functionalities including Weather Alerts, Location History, and Background Location are also disappearing from the platform. The company has provided time till August 1 this year for users to download their data including location history. After which, it will be removed. However, Facebook clarified that it will continue collecting users' location information for 'other experiences'.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Facebook started rolling the Nearby Friends feature on both iOS and Android back in 2014. The optional functionality shows which friends are nearby or on the go. Once you turn on Nearby Friends, you'll occasionally be notified when friends are nearby, so you can get in touch with them and meet up. Also, you can see when your friends are travelling and see the city they are in.

Recently, the company reportedly announced its plans to shut down its podcast platform less than a year after its launch. The move is part of a broader re-evaluation of Facebook's audio products. Last year, Facebook launched podcasts and live audio streams in the US to keep users engaged on its platform and to compete with emerging rivals.

Facebook Owner Meta Shares Glimpse of First Physical Store

Xiaomi 12 Pro is littered with features, but is that enough? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Facebook, Facebook Update, Nearby Friends, Facebook Location Features, Facebook Weather Alerts

Nithya P Nair

Email Nithya P Nair

Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More