With Blend, Instagram is adding a fun, social twist to short-form video viewing. It’s more than just watching Reels — it’s about sharing laughs, reactions, and moments with friends in real time.
Instagram has introduced a new social feature called Blend, which has been designed to offer a personalised Reels feed that you can share and enjoy with your friends. The new feature is rolling out globally and it is further aiming at making Reels discovery more interactive and fun by letting users explore content together in one shared space.
What is Instagram Blend?
Blend feature will enable the users to create a customised Reels feed with a single friend or a group of friends through Instagram DMs. Each Blend feed is uniquely tailored, based on the interests and viewing habits of all participants in the group. The content refreshes daily, ensuring a fresh and engaging experience every time you check in.
Blends are invite-only, meaning someone in the DM group must start the Blend and send an invitation to others. Once a friend accepts, the shared feed becomes active and available to everyone in the chat.
How does it work?
To create a Blend, follow these steps:
- Open a one-on-one or group DM chat.
- Tap the new Blend icon at the top of the chat screen.
- Select “Invite” to send a Blend invitation to friends in the chat.
- The Blend activates once at least one member accepts the invite.
- You can revisit the shared feed anytime by tapping the Blend icon in the chat.
As users in the group interact with Reels, by liking or reacting, Instagram will notify others, encouraging conversation and deeper engagement in the chat.
A more social Reels experience
Instagram says the purpose of Blend is to bring users closer to their friends by discovering and enjoying Reels together. It’s part of a broader move to return Instagram to its social roots, focusing more on genuine connections than just influencer content and sponsored posts.
With Blend, Instagram introduces a collaborative discovery tool that rivals what TikTok does not yet offer. It not only helps users find content they might not have seen on their own, but also increases Reels watch time and keeps users within the app longer.
Inspired by Spotify’s Blend
Instagram’s new feature bears similarities to Spotify’s Blend, which combines the musical preferences of two or more users into one shared playlist that updates daily. Just like that, Instagram Blend refreshes its curated content every day, ensuring new Reels to enjoy as a group.
