How to use Instagram Blend, Meta's new Reels feature
Instagram just launched Blend, a a new feature that lets users create a private feed of recommended Reels in their DMs. The use-case here is kind of confusing, but it has potential to be useful for users who want to get to know their friends and lovers' algorithms better — an inclination so disturbing in nature that it might actually be real.
You could compare it to Spotify Blend playlists — which are great to have in the background of a hang or to discover commonalities with other users — but for scrolling through Instagram Reels in silence next to each other. It could also help make the Reels scrolling experience more collaborative and less lonely. If the feature does nothing else, it will likely keep users logged on for longer; a W for Instagram.
The feature has been in development since at least March 2024, and was being tested with some users in March. It'll work in one-on-one DMs or on group chats.
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"We want Instagram to be a place where people connect over creativity, and this is one more way to do that. 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 head Adam Mosseri said in a Reel.
How to use Instagram Blend
- One minute
- Instagram app
Step 1: Open a DM and tap Blend
The Blend icon should show up at the top right of a conversation.
Step 2: Tap "Invite"
Once you accept or start a Blend, you and your chat will be able to scroll through suggested Reels. When you or a friend reacts to Reels in the Blend using the reply bar, it will send that to the chat to keep your convo going.
Step 3: Scroll away
Once at least one other person accepts the invitation, the Blend will begin. It will refresh every day.
Topics Instagram
Christianna Silva is a senior culture reporter covering social platforms and the creator economy, with a focus on the intersection of social media, politics, and the economic systems that govern us. Since joining Mashable in 2021, they have reported extensively on meme creators, content moderation, and the nature of online creation under capitalism.
Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow her on Bluesky @christiannaj.bsky.social and Instagram @christianna_j.
