Instagram is giving Reels a social twist with the launch of Blend, a new feature designed to make content discovery more communal—and, naturally, keep you and your friends talking. Announced today, Blend creates a shared Reels feed inside direct messages, combining algorithmic recommendations based on what each participant has watched, liked, or shared.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri says the goal is to spark conversation and help people “connect over what they love.” Whether that’s niche memes, cooking fails, or oddly satisfying cleaning clips depends entirely on your feed—and your friends’.
How does the feature work?
Think of it as Spotify Blend, but for short-form video. To get started, users just head into a DM—one-on-one or a group—and tap the new Blend icon. That activates a collaborative feed where everyone in the chat gets served a daily mix of Reels tailored to the group’s tastes.
The Blend refreshes daily, so there’s always something new to react to, roast, or reshare. Each DM thread gets its own unique Blend, meaning you can have very different vibes depending on who you’re chatting with. One Blend might serve up cat videos; another might go full film bro.
Instagram began testing the feature quietly back in March with a limited group of users, but now it’s rolling out more broadly. It’s another clear sign that Meta is leaning into collaborative algorithms to make discovery feel more personal—and to turn every DM thread into a potential content rabbit hole.
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