Instagram is developing a new way for users to discover short-form videos collaboratively. The Meta-owned site is developing a feature called “Blend” that will create a private feed of recommended Reels based on your and a friend’s preferences.
What is Instagram Blend?
Developer Alessandro Paluzzi found the unreleased functionality, which appears to be designed to increase Reels watching through collaborative sharing. If Blend is released, you may invite a friend, and Instagram’s algorithm will populate a feed with Reels that it believes you’d both appreciate based on your viewing habits and the videos you’ve already shared.
Think of it as Spotify’s Blend playlist, which blends your and your friend’s music interests into a single playlist. Instead of music, Instagram’s version would combine your Reels interests into a single vertical video feed exclusively for the two of you.
Screenshots show that these Blends would be private between you and your friend, with the option to exit the shared Reel recommendation stream at any time. It’s unclear whether Blends will continuously update with new video suggestions or refresh regularly.
The social media behemoth hasn’t revealed many details about Blend, and like other prototypes, there’s no assurance it’ll be released to the public.