On Thursday, Instagram announced it will be rolling out Blend, a new feature that allows you to create custom, personalized reel feeds for you and your friends. Blends are only invited and can be created with peculiar friends and group chats. Custom feeds are updated daily with new content.
The launch is no surprise, as TechCrunch reported in March 2024 that social networks were developing the feature.
By joining or accepting Blend Invite, you can view selected reels in chat. When someone in the group responds to the reel, Instagram will notify you, so you can continue the combo with a DM (Direct Messaging) chat.
The idea behind this feature is to explore what kind of reels your friends are interested in, while also connecting with them and discovering new content together. Blend aims to introduce new social elements to Instagram and get closer to its roots of sharing moments with friends.
Image credit: Instagram
With the launch of Blend, Instagram is giving users access to features that are not available on Tiktok, one of Instagram's biggest rivals.
For Instagram, Blend could be an enhanced Reels discovery and a way to watch time on social networks.
To create a blend, you need to open a one-to-one or group DM chat and tap the new blend icon at the top of the chat. Next, you need to select “Invite” to invite people from DM chat to join the blend. A blend will be created when at least one member of the chat accepts the invitation. You can revisit the blend by visiting DM chat and tapping on the blend icon.
It is worth noting that Blend is somewhat similar to the feature of Spotify with the same name. This allows people to combine their preferences into one shared playlist and refresh themselves every day.