Facebook Testing Revamp of 'Nearby Friends' With 'Wave' Feature
Facebook is taking out the map from its 'Nearby Friends' feature, which allows our friends see our precise location, and instead, now lets you 'Wave' to broadcast our proximity to them.
Previously, we could select to temporarily or permanently share our constant exact pinpoint on a map with specific friends, or request this from a friend. This was useful for meeting up with someone on the move, knowing when someone was arriving or frighteningly, stalking your significant other.
Facebook introduced its Nearby Friends feature for iOS and Android to permit users inform select friends on their location and to keep tabs on others in 2014.With the feature, Facebook users could opt-in to sending chosen friends updates on their location using a map, and they could even demand to see where their friends were and receive notifications if they were nearby. But, it now seems that the social network has revamped the feature.
Facebook as also established that the feature permitting people to see our precise location for a limited period on a map is no longer available. "That strips 'Nearby Friends' main visual component, too, making it now just a list of people's proximities and neighborhood," the report added.
Facebook has also announced 'Poke' successor 'Wave' that addresses the core flaw of Nearby Friends that "just because someone is in your proximity, does not mean they are available".
With 'Wave', users have the choice to send a wave to friends they see in Facebook 'Nearby' to let them know they are interested in what that friend is up to.
"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 light ways," the report quoted a Facebook spokesperson saying.