AppleInsider Staff
Facebook users will now have an easier time meeting up with friends at social events or planning group activities using the social network's new Nearby Friends feature, an opt-in service that alerts friends when they are close to each other.
With Nearby Friends enabled, users will receive a home screen notification telling them which friends are around their area. Users can then drill down to see roughly how far away those friends are and how recently their location was updated.
Another feature allows users to broadcast their exact location, in a manner similar to Apple's Find my Friends app. Users can select a set of friends and instruct Facebook to allow those friends to pinpoint the user on a map for a specific period of time.
Facebook says the service is completely optional, allowing those who prefer privacy to keep their location a secret. The setting is somewhat granular, so users can also allow only certain friends — for example, a spouse — to know where they are.
Nearby Friends will debut on both iOS and Android "in the US over the coming weeks." There is no word on when Facebook might expand the functionality internationally.
Chip Loder
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Andrew Orr
26 Comments
Facebook does not know that all Facebook friends are not real friends.
I deleted Facebook from my iPhone a long time ago and never looked back.
I would rather have an app that can warn me when certain people are getting too close to my location.
I like Apple's short-term option: "find each other at this big event, then automatically shut down." Very useful. Beyond that%u2014and anything involving companies that sell info on me* to advertisers%u2014is of no interest! * Anonymized? A myth. They know enough to ID you, and the info is valuable. You are for sale. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/09/your-secrets-live-online-in-databases-of-ruin/
Find my Friends? They should just call it, Track My Movements, or Tell My Boss, or Facebook Spy, or I Know Where You Are At All Times Muahahahaha.
It's just copying Blendr/Grindr etc. Progress marches on, I guess, like it or not.
You KNOW what's coming next lol. Here is a preview (my guess anyway):
FARMVILLE 2 notification: JIM has a sheep to give you, and he's 154 feet away from you.
Get ready for uber complicated Facebook privacy settings that make it very difficult for you to be absolutely sure your Facebook friends can't discover your physical proximity and location.