Facebook's new Nearby Friends Feature has a straightforward function: It connects you to friends who are close by so you can hang out.
"If 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," Facebook product manager Andrea Vaccari said in a blog post. "For example, when you're headed to the movies, Nearby Friends will let you know if friends are nearby so you can see the movie together or meet up afterward."
Forbes noted that one of the app's challenges will be to "ping" users with only the most relevant appearances by friends instead of sending a plethora of alerts whenever they walk by family members.
Nearby Friends will function similarly to apps like Tinder and Social Radar, which use smartphone location to connect users.
The feature will be included on the next iOS and Android updates, but privacy advocates can be assured that the function won't be automatically switched on--users have to turn on Nearby Friends themselves, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Friends will also have to agree to use the feature to find each other. Both users need to turn on Nearby Friends to use it and agree to share location with each other beforehand. They can decide who gets to see their location and how long the information will be shared, according to the L.A. Times report.
When two users switch on the feature, each friend will receive a ping to be alerted to the other's proximity.
Facebook started rolling out the app to users on Thursday.
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