When it comes to sharing Instagram Reels with friends, the process of three taps to get a Reel from A to B can feel surprisingly tedious. Now, Instagram has addressed that issue with its latest feature: Instagram Blend.
Announced on Thursday, Blend lets users create invite-only, personalized Reels feeds with friends. By tapping a new two-emoji-hugging icon (the Blend icon) within a chat, you can start or accept a Blend. Once active, Instagram will begin recommending Reels for both users in a shared feed, powered by an algorithm. The feature works in one-on-one DMs as well as group chats. These recommendations, refreshed daily, are said to be unique to each Blend and based on prior activity on the platform.
“We want Instagram to be a place where people connect over creativity, and this is one more way to do that,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a Reel. “It’s a really fun way to not only share your interests, but to learn a little bit about your friends’ interests . . . and then you can actually start conversations about that content that you discover.”
Instagram’s newest feature offers something social media users currently can’t find elsewhere (We’re looking at you, TikTok). It arrives at a time when several platforms are positioning themselves to capitalize on TikTok’s uncertain future. Blend is most comparable to Spotify’s Blend playlists: shared playlists that merge the music tastes of two or more users. But instead of listening to music while hanging out, you’re scrolling Reels together.
For Instagram, Blend could boost watch time by encouraging shared short-form content consumption and allowing users to get to know each other’s algorithmic preferences. It might also increase Reels discoveries, as the feed surfaces a mix of yours and your friend’s—or, if you’re feeling bold, your lover’s—recommendations. You just have to hope they haven’t recently fallen into any particularly weird corners of the internet.
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