Instagram is creating suggested Reels for you and a buddy called "Blend."

A "Blend" function that curates a private feed of Reels that are suggested for you and a buddy is something Instagram is working on. The function is an internal prototype, the business informed TechCrunch on Friday, and it is not being tested outside.

Travon Stracke

March 30, 2024

2Min Reads

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Reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi was the first to notice the function. He frequently finds social media features under development before they are formally released. A Blend would feature "Reels recommendations based on Reels you've shared with each other and your Reels interests," per a screenshot that Paluzzi provided on X.

Put another way, if you invited a buddy to a "Blend," Instagram would present you both with a customized feed of Reels it thought you might find interesting. Blend seems to have some of the same features as Spotify's eponymous service, which debuted in 2021 and lets two users construct a shared playlist of their favorite music.

According to the screenshot, you and the other user would be the only ones able to see Blends, and you may leave a Blend at any moment. Instagram withheld information on the feature, including whether Blends would be updated automatically with fresh suggestions or if they would only be updated after a predetermined period of time.

In order to increase Reels' visibility and duration of view, Instagram has included a function that allows users to find new Reels together. Instagram will now utilize that data to proactively promote and show Reels that it feels a pair of users might love, since users already give each other Reels via direct messages.

Like any previous prototype, Instagram has not said when or whether it intends to make the feature publicly available.

If Blend is made available, users of Instagram Reels will have access to an entertaining and interactive function that isn't offered by TikTok, its competitor site. Even though the two products are quite comparable, Instagram may have a little competitive advantage over TikTok now that "Blend" has been released—especially because TikTok still has a significant majority of the market for short-form videos.