How to Drive Visibility With Instagram Friends Feed in Reels Feature and Friends Tab: 2025 Strategy

Last Updated on September 23, 2025 by Val Razo

Instagram has introduced several new features aimed at helping users better connect with friends and discover more personalized content. One of the most talked-about updates is the addition of the Friends tab on Instagram, which now includes a dedicated Reels feature. This update gives users access to public content your friends have liked or interacted with, right from a separate tab on your profile or at the top of Reels.

If you’re wondering how to drive visibility with Instagram’s Friends feed in Reels feature and Friends tab, you’re not alone. With tools like the Instagram map, reposts of public Reels, and recommendations from blends, the platform is evolving how people discover and engage with content. Whether you’re an everyday user, creator, or brand focused on Instagram marketing, learning how to leverage the Friends tab can help you get shown in the Friends tab and boost your Reels feed visibility.

In this guide, we’ll break down how the new Instagram features work, how to optimize for the Friends feed, and even how to turn off the new if you prefer the classic experience.

Understanding the Friends Tab on Instagram

Instagram’s Friends tab is a new feature designed to make the platform more personalized by showing you Reels and posts that your friends have liked, commented on, or interacted with in some way. Unlike the traditional Explore page, which surfaces content based on general user interest and algorithmic suggestions, this separate tab on your profile provides a curated experience based on your real-life social circle and specific friends you’ve connected with.

What is the Friends Tab and Why Instagram Added It

The Friends tab on Instagram was introduced to deepen in-app engagement and make discovery feel more authentic. Instead of discovering Reels based on what’s trending globally, you now see content your friends have engaged with, including public reels and posts. Instagram added this feature to align with growing interest in recommendations from people you care about, instead of algorithm-only suggestions.

This new Instagram feature reflects the platform’s continued shift toward social-based discovery. By surfacing public content your friends have interacted with, Instagram is encouraging more intentional and shared experiences — similar to what users experience on platforms like BeReal or Snapchat.

How Content Gets Shown in the Friends Tab

Your content can appear in someone’s Friends feed if they’ve:

• Liked or commented on your public reels

• Reposted public Reels or shared your location connected to a Reel via the Instagram Map

• Engaged with your content using new tools like blends or interactive stickers

Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes reels the people you care about have interacted with recently. That means content with high likes and comments from your mutual friends is more likely to appear. Also, if you’re using features like the Friends tab and actively engaging with others’ content, your profile is more visible within these curated spaces.

After I started tagging specific friends and using the location feature in my Reels, I noticed a 30% jump in visibility — especially in the Friends tab. One of my Reels even got reshared by three mutuals, which helped it reach new audiences organically.

How the New Reels Feature Works in the Friends Feed

Instagram’s Reels feature has undergone a transformation with the launch of the Friends feed. Now, users can not only browse standard Reels but also access a new tab in Reels that displays content curated from their friends’ activity. This shift is part of Instagram’s push to promote shared discovery and give users more ways to explore content influenced by their close connections.

The Reels Feed vs. Main Feed

The Reels feed is now more than just a scrollable list of popular or trending short videos. With the Friends tab, it highlights public reels and feed posts that your friends have liked, shared, or commented on. In contrast, the main feed still shows a mix of content from people you follow and suggested posts, often driven by algorithmic data rather than social connections.

This differentiation helps users see content with more context — it’s not just popular; it’s popular among the people you care about.

What Is the Tab in Reels and How It Functions

At the top of Reels, you’ll now notice a tab in Reels that shows a new type of curated content. This separate tab allows you to explore reels where you can see who among your friends interacted with it — whether through likes and comments, shares, or reposts.

It also includes a new layer of engagement transparency, showing how content gains popularity through social connections rather than viral reach alone.

Exploring the New Friends Reels Feature

The new Friends Reels feature expands Instagram’s effort to build a more socially-driven experience. Here, users can:

• See which friends have engaged with specific Reels

• Discover public content your friends have liked

• Receive recommendations from blends you’ve joined

• Get Reels surfaced based on activity in the Friends tab

Instagram continues to refine this feature on Instagram to encourage more meaningful interaction. It’s a way to connect through mutual engagement while still leveraging the entertainment value of Reels.

Duolingo used the Instagram Reels Friends tab to increase peer-to-peer engagement. By encouraging fans to tag friends and remix videos, they saw a 45% increase in content visibility among friend groups, without spending extra on ads. Their creative team also geo-tagged posts using the Instagram Map, helping target content locally during event-based campaigns.

Instagram Features That Boost Your Visibility in the Friends Tab

If you’re aiming to get noticed in the Friends tab on Instagram, it’s essential to understand which Instagram features can directly influence your visibility. Instagram’s evolving platform offers a wide array of tools that let users interact not just with content — but with one another. The more your content is engaged with by your friends on Instagram, the more likely it is to be shown in their Friends feed or tab in Reels.

Using Instagram Map to Connect With Friends Nearby

The Instagram Map has become more than a discovery tool — it’s a new social layer. Users can now share their location with friends, tag places, and even see content from locations with friends you pick. When you open the map to see nearby content, you might find public reels and feed posts from creators and users in your network.

To increase visibility:

• Tag your location in every Reel

• Engage with content that’s location-based

• Opt into location sharing with friends to strengthen your social graph

This feature helps Instagram recommend content from areas where you and your friends are actively posting and engaging — and it can dramatically improve your placement in the Friends tab.

Leveraging New Instagram Features to Stay Relevant

Instagram continues to evolve, and staying on top of new Instagram features is essential. The platform is constantly testing and rolling out changes, such as:

• Features like the Friends tab

• The new tab in Reels

• Blends that combine content from select users and friends

• Tools to repost public reels within groups or DMs

By regularly using these, you signal to Instagram that you’re an active, relevant user — and that makes your content more likely to appear in tabs at the top, and Friends Reels feeds.

How to Get Shown in the Friends Tab With Reels

Instagram prioritizes content in the Friends feed that generates interaction. Here’s how to get your Reels noticed:

• Encourage likes and comments on Reels by using captions and call-to-actions

• Share Reels in group chats or with specific friends

• Engage with your audience’s content to increase mutual interaction

• Use popular audio, trending formats, and relevant hashtags

The goal is to create Reels that your friends have engaged with — this interaction is the trigger for your content to be featured in their Friends tab. Remember, content your friends have interacted with holds more weight than algorithmic suggestions in this feed.

Instagram Marketing Tactics for the Friends Tab and Reels Feature

As Instagram pivots toward more social-based discovery, creators and brands must adjust their Instagram marketing strategies to align with the Friends tab and Reels feature. These updates offer a new pathway to organic reach — especially if your content becomes something your friends have liked or shared. With the right tactics, you can use these tools to deepen engagement and expand your audience.

Creating Reels That Engage Friends

To appear in the Friends feed, your Reels need to spark interaction. That means creating content that encourages viewers — especially friends — to react, comment, or reshare.

Here are tips that work:

• Use captions with questions or relatable prompts

• Feature people you care about — tag friends in collaborative content

• Include behind-the-scenes or life-update Reels that feel more personal

• Tap into features like location sharing and tagging spots on the Instagram Map

When your friends interact with your public Reels, those interactions signal Instagram to surface your content in their Friends tab, increasing your exposure organically.

Timing and Hashtags for Visibility

The timing of your posts and the hashtags you use still matter — especially in the context of social sharing. To increase your chances of being shown in the Friends tab:

• Post when your audience is most active (use Instagram Insights)

• Use a mix of broad and niche hashtags, including trend-specific ones

• Share your Reel directly with specific friends via DMs or Stories

• Repost your own Reel across different content surfaces (e.g. Stories, Blends)

These small actions amplify the possibility of engagement and make it more likely your content will be featured in the tab at the top of your friends’ Reels feed.

Using the Friends Tab for Audience Growth

The Friends Reels feature is not just about discovery — it’s about connection. That’s powerful for brands, influencers, and everyday creators alike. Here’s how to turn the Friends tab into a growth channel:

• Build engagement groups with your top followers or mutuals

• Encourage friends and followers to save and share your Reels

• Tap into recommendations from blends and use content that fits trending “Blends” themes

• Use features that help connect with friends directly — like tagging and location features

Remember: content that friends have interacted with is more likely to get surfaced across their experience in the app. That includes the reels tab, the Instagram map, and even shared Stories.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what the Friends tab was doing for my account. But once I started engaging more with friends’ content and reposting relevant Reels, my own videos began appearing in their feed. It felt like a behind-the-scenes boost I hadn’t expected.

How to Turn Off the New Friends Tab and Reels Feature (If Needed)

While Instagram’s new friends Reels feature and the Friends tab aim to create a more personalized user experience, not everyone welcomes these changes. Some users prefer the traditional Explore and Reels format without added social filters or location-based content. If you’re one of them, here’s how to manage — or potentially turn off the new features.

Why Some Users Want to Turn Off the New

There are a few reasons why users may want to turn off the new friends experience:

• Privacy concerns with location sharing

• Cluttered interface from the new tab in Reels

• Preference for seeing only content from followed accounts

• Less control over what appears in their Reels feed

Others may feel that seeing content your friends have liked or reels the people you care about have engaged with interferes with their own browsing habits. While Instagram markets this as a feature to help you connect with friends, it’s not always aligned with how users want to consume content.

47% of Gen Z users say they discover new creators via content their friends interact with, rather than through traditional Explore or algorithm feeds.

Steps to Disable the Friends Tab or Reels Feature

Currently, Instagram doesn’t offer a full setting to completely disable the Friends tab or its related features. However, here are workarounds and settings to reduce their impact:

1. Disable Location Sharing

   • Go to your profile > Settings > Privacy > Location Sharing

   • Turn off “Share your location with friends” and “Last active location with friends”

2. Leave or Mute Blends

   • If you’re part of recommendations from blends you’ve joined, you can leave them from your profile under “Blends.”

3. Use Alternate Views

   • Stick to the main Reels tab or Following tab on the home feed, rather than browsing the Friends tab

4. Reduce Engagement with Friends’ Content

   • The more you engage with content your friends have interacted with, the more these features will appear — so minimize those interactions if you want to see less.

5. Submit Feedback to Instagram

   • Scroll to the bottom of the Friends tab and select “Give Feedback” to let Instagram know you’d like the option to turn it off anytime

While you can’t fully remove the new tab yet, these steps can help customize your experience as Instagram continues to test and evolve these features.

Conclusion

Instagram’s shift toward social-driven discovery through the Friends tab and Reels feature is reshaping how users engage with content. By understanding what’s shown in the Friends tab, how the tab in Reels works, and how to tailor your posts for visibility in the Friends feed, you can tap into a powerful new layer of organic reach. Whether you’re focused on personal growth or Instagram marketing, tools like the Instagram Map, recommendations from blends, and the ability to see public content your friends have liked open the door to deeper engagement.

That said, not every user embraces change. If you prefer the classic experience, knowing how to turn off the new Friends Reels feature or adjust your settings offers flexibility. Ultimately, as Instagram evolves, your best strategy is to stay informed, experiment with new tools, and find the right balance between discovery and privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Instagram decide which Reels to show in the Friends tab?

Instagram uses signals based on your activity in the Friends tab, such as which Reels your selected friends have liked, shared, or commented on. The algorithm also considers content your friends and favorite creators have interacted with recently to show you reels in the Friends tab that are most relevant.

Can I choose which specific people influence what I see in the Friends tab?

Currently, Instagram doesn’t allow users to fully customize which specific people affect content recommendations in the Friends feed. However, the platform prioritizes interactions with selected friends and favorite creators you engage with most frequently. This passive behavior determines much of the content shown in the Friends tab.

What does ‘map to see content’ mean in Instagram’s new Friends feature?

The Instagram Map now allows users to use the map to discover public content tagged in nearby locations. You can also open the map to see which reels the people you care about have engaged with. It’s part of Instagram’s new friends tab experience, which blends geographic discovery with social interaction.

What’s the difference between the Friends tab and the Following tab on Instagram?

The Friends tab shows you content that your friends and favorite creators have interacted with — including public reels, posts, and shares. In contrast, the Following tab displays content only from accounts you’ve chosen to follow, without additional algorithmic influence from social interactions. The Friends tab is meant to surface content based on mutual activity, not just following status.

How does Instagram use the map to show location-based Reels?

Instagram uses the map and see feature to let users explore content tied to geographic locations. When users share their location or tag a spot, their content may appear to others using the map to see content nearby. This is part of a broader effort to make sharing experiences on the map more social, especially when friends have engaged with Reels posted from specific places.

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