How to Use the Instagram Blend Feature to Co‑Consume Reels With Friends for Deeper Engagement: A Guide to the Latest Instagram Launch

Last Updated on September 22, 2025 by Val Razo

In 2025, Instagram has introduced a new feature called Blend, a social-driven tool that creates a shared feed of Reels between you and a friend or group based on your shared interests. This new feature is more than just another tab on the app—it’s a new way to connect, engage, and discover interactive content in real time. As Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, explained during the Instagram update, the platform is continuing to prioritize deeper connections and more personalized digital experiences.

By tapping the Blend icon in your DMs, you can now start a Blend, automatically curating a shared Reels feed tailored to both your and your friend’s preferences. From algorithmic suggestions to AI-powered recommendations, this feature that creates a more tailored, engaging experience marks another evolution in content discovery on the platform.

As social media trends shift toward co-watching and real-time reactions, the Blend feature not only boosts the time users spend on the app but also serves as a way to connect over mutual interests—from memes to exclusive Reels and beyond. Whether you’re a creator, a casual scroller, or part of a tight-knit group chat, the Blend feature may just redefine how we interact with digital content.

What Is the Instagram Blend Feature and Why It Matters

Instagram’s new Blend feature is a social-driven innovation that creates a shared feed of Reels between users who opt in to a more interactive, curated experience. By using the Blend icon in your DMs, you can invite a friend or group to form a shared Reels feed that’s automatically populated based on your mutual activity, preferences, and shared interests.

Instagram’s Push for More Personalized Content

Over the past few years, Instagram — under the leadership of Adam Mosseri — has shifted its focus toward more personalized, AI-driven content delivery. With the introduction of Blend, the platform continues that trend by leveraging algorithmic signals to provide recommended Reels that reflect both users’ engagement history.

This is part of Meta’s broader aim to foster deeper connections by giving users another way to enjoy content — not alone, but together. Unlike traditional feeds, Blend is a feature that creates a collaborative viewing experience, serving as a new feature that enhances content discovery through shared preferences.

How the Blend Feature Fits Into Evolving User Trends

From Spotify’s Blend playlists to TikTok’s collaborative features, the concept of shared digital experiences is becoming a rising trend in the world of social media. Instagram’s response? A new way to interact that merges personalization with social engagement.

As users increasingly look for real-time, interactive moments within their favorite apps, the Blend feature taps into that need. It doesn’t just curate content — it tailors it to reflect your social graph, turning passive scroll behavior into active, engaging content consumption. This innovation is designed to increase the time users spend on the platform while boosting the likelihood of a reaction, reply, or even a direct message.

When my friend and I started a Blend on Instagram, our Reels feed instantly transformed. We weren’t just watching viral trends — we were reacting, laughing, and sharing in real-time. It became part of our daily chat routine.

How to Use the Instagram Blend Feature to Co‑Consume Reels With Friends

The Instagram Blend feature is designed to be simple, seamless, and highly social. Whether you’re looking to discover engaging content, laugh at memes, or bond over your latest niche obsession, Blend offers a new way to co-watch and connect. Here’s how to get started.

Step-by-Step Guide to Accessing and Setting Up Blend

1. Update Your App
   Make sure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version — this new feature is part of the most recent Instagram update rolled out in 2025.

2. Open Your DMs
   Head to your direct messages (DMs) and select a friend or group chat where you’d like to share Reels.

3. Tap the New Blend Icon
   Look for the Blend icon, located near the media options in the chat. Tap it to send a Blend request to your selected chat.

4. Start a Blend
   Once accepted, a shared feed of Reels will be created for you and your friend or group — curated based on your combined viewing behaviors, likes, and algorithmic patterns.

5. Watch and React in Real-Time
   From there, you can scroll through the shared feed, reply, react, and even discuss Reels right in your group chat — a major step toward real-time content interaction.

A 2023 survey by YPulse found that 62% of Gen Z users said they feel more connected when social media allows them to watch content with friends in real time.

How the Feed Curates Reels Based on Mutual Interests

The real magic of Blend lies in its AI and algorithm-based curation. Instagram uses data from your personal activity — such as likes, shares, time spent on Reels, and niche interests — and combines it with your friend’s behaviors to generate suggested Reels in a single shared feed.

This feature that creates a sense of digital intimacy offers another way to bond over common interests, whether that’s viral content, trending creators, or niche subcultures. The more you engage with the Blend feed, the smarter and more tailored it becomes — a reflection of your shared digital tastes.

For creators, this means their content now has the chance to appear in shared Reels feeds, offering new opportunities for visibility and organic reach within group chats — a subtle but powerful shift in how Reels are discovered and consumed.

Benefits for Creators and Users Alike

The Instagram Blend feature isn’t just another flashy addition — it’s a new feature with serious implications for how both creators and everyday users engage with the platform. Whether you’re looking to discover new Reels or expand your audience, Blend is designed to serve both sides of the content equation.

How Blend Helps Creators Increase Engagement

For creators, the rise of shared Reels feeds offers a golden opportunity. With Reels now appearing in a shared feed curated between two or more people, content has a higher chance of being recommended to multiple users at once — especially when it aligns with their shared interests.

This creates an exclusive, opt-in channel of discovery, where users are more likely to actually watch, react, and even reply to Reels within the comfort of their DMs. The intimacy of group chats combined with AI-powered suggestions means higher retention, deeper engagement, and more authentic interactions — all essential for growing as a creator on the platform.

And because Blend encourages users to engage directly in-app (without sharing externally), creators benefit from stronger algorithmic signals that feed back into Instagram’s recommendation engine.

As a content creator, I’ve seen my Reels get more views and engagement since the Blend feature launched. My content is now reaching not just individuals, but groups — and the reactions are way more personal.

The Role of Curation and Personalization in Reel Discovery

One of Blend’s strongest features is its ability to curate a real-time experience based on personalized content interests. Unlike the standard Reels feed, which relies solely on individual behavior, Blend draws on mutual interaction points, giving the algorithm more context to deliver relevant content.

This means users are likely to find more niche, tailored content that speaks to their shared humor, style, or fandoms — not just what’s trending globally. The effect? A more engaging content stream that makes users want to stick around and interact. It also increases the time users spend in the app — a key metric Meta is undoubtedly tracking.

In short, Instagram’s new Blend feature bridges the gap between personalization and social sharing. It transforms passive scrolling into interactive engagement — exactly what modern users and digital platforms are aiming for.

How the New Feature Enhances the Social Feed Experience

In the constantly evolving world of digital media, Instagram’s rollout of Blend marks a significant moment in how users experience content together. This new feature goes beyond the typical feed-based model by transforming the act of scrolling into something more intentional, more interactive, and deeply social.

Turning Passive Scrolling Into Shared Moments

Traditionally, users would consume content individually — liking, sharing, and occasionally sending a Reel to a friend. But with Blend, Instagram has introduced a feature that creates a collaborative environment where watching Reels becomes a shared activity, not just an individual one.

By creating a shared feed of Reels, the platform turns passive consumption into a more engaging experience. When a Blend request is accepted, users gain access to content that resonates with both participants, making the experience feel more like a conversation than just a scroll. It’s no longer about watching alone — it’s about laughing together, reacting in real-time, and building deeper connections within the app itself.

This shift helps Instagram strengthen its positioning as not just a social media network but a way to connect through curated content, built on shared discovery.

Co-Watching as a New Trend in Social Media Behavior

The success of Spotify Blend, YouTube’s shared playlists, and TikTok’s group sharing features have already proven that co-watching is a rising trend in how people want to experience content. Instagram’s latest move reflects this larger pattern — giving users another way to bond over digital media.

This is especially true in group chats, where shared Reels often spark spontaneous reactions, inside jokes, and even ongoing conversation threads. With the Blend feature, the platform taps into this behavioral shift, offering a tailored space that’s powered by AI, fueled by user behavior, and rooted in mutual interest.

For creators, it’s a win too — as Reels shared in a Blend session are more likely to be discovered, reacted to, and sent back with a reply, boosting visibility in both personal and algorithmic ways.

Instagram’s Strategy Behind the Blend Launch

It’s no secret that Instagram’s latest innovations often follow broader shifts in the social media landscape. With the introduction of Blend, Instagram is not just improving the user experience — it’s making a strategic play in the ongoing battle for attention and engagement.

Competing With TikTok and YouTube Shorts

The rise of TikTok has dramatically reshaped how people consume content — quick, personalized, shareable videos dominate, and other platforms are racing to catch up. In response, Instagram’s new Blend feature offers a twist on the short-form format: not only can users consume Reels, but they can do it together.

Where TikTok focuses on individual virality, Instagram Blend focuses on connection — by giving users a shared feed, it leverages the power of relationships to increase retention and repeat interaction. This is a powerful differentiator, especially as users become more selective about where they spend their screen time.

Similarly, YouTube Shorts may win on creator incentives, but Instagram is betting that interactive, socially-relevant features will win in the long run. The ability to curate, react, and connect over content gives Instagram an edge that’s less about pure content volume and more about engagement quality.

Platform Insights Into Engagement and Retention Goals

The launch of Blend is clearly tied to Instagram’s larger ambitions under Meta: to become the default place for shared content experiences. From an algorithmic perspective, every reaction, reply, and tap on the new Blend button sends strong engagement signals, helping to personalize both individual and shared Reels feeds.

This plays directly into Instagram’s goals:

• Increase time users spend on the app

• Encourage opt-in, real-time engagement

• Boost algorithmic performance through social signals

• Reinforce the platform’s reputation for interactive, AI-enhanced features

Ultimately, Instagram’s Blend isn’t just a new feature — it’s a strategic layer designed to tie together personal preferences, social behavior, and group engagement. In a world flooded with content, the platform that offers deeper connections will likely come out ahead.

A 2023 comparison by Emplifi found that Instagram Reels had a 20% higher average engagement rate per follower than TikTok videos for brands using co-discovery content strategies, such as interactive Reels or shared playlists.

Conclusion

As social platforms evolve, Instagram’s new Blend feature stands out as a bold step toward more interactive, personalized, and shared experiences. By allowing users to co-consume Reels through a shared feed built around mutual interests, Instagram is reshaping how we engage with content — and with each other.

For everyday users, it’s a new way to connect, laugh, and scroll with friends. For creators, it’s a chance to reach new audiences through curated moments that spark real-time conversations. And for the platform, it’s a strategic push to deepen user engagement in an increasingly crowded digital media landscape.

Whether you’re reacting in your DMs, discovering niche Reels, or starting a Blend with your best friend, this new feature aims to make your time on Instagram more meaningful — and more social.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Instagram Blend different from Spotify Blend?

While Spotify Blend merges your music taste with a friend’s to create a shared playlist, Instagram Blend creates a shared Reels feed based on your algorithmic activity and content preferences. Both aim to personalize experiences, but Instagram focuses on visual content and social interactivity.

Can you use Instagram Blend in group chats?

Yes, Blend works in group chats as well as one-on-one conversations. When a user sends a blend request in a group, it creates a shared feed of Reels curated from the activity and shared interests of all members who opt in.

Is the Blend feature optional or always active?

Blend is opt-in, meaning users must accept the request to activate a shared Reels feed. Nothing is shared automatically, and users maintain full control over their participation and privacy settings.

Will Blend affect the Instagram algorithm for my personal feed?

No, your main Instagram feed remains separate. However, your activity in a Blend may influence the recommendation engine inside that specific shared experience. It uses aggregated preferences to curate more relevant content for that group.

How does Instagram personalize content in a Blend feed?

Instagram uses AI and user behavior signals — like Reels you’ve liked, shared, or lingered on — to curate a personalized, interactive experience. The more you and your friend engage, the more accurate the recommendations become.

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