Instagram Develops ‘Blend’: Recommended Reels for You and a Friend
Instagram is currently developing a feature called “Blend,” which aims to create a private feed of Reels tailored for you and a chosen friend. This feature is still in the internal prototype stage and is not being externally tested, according to information provided to TechCrunch by Instagram.
The discovery of the Blend feature was initially made by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who frequently uncovers social media features under development before their official release. Based on a screenshot shared on X by Paluzzi, a Blend would curate Reels recommendations by considering Reels that you and your friend have shared with each other, as well as your individual Reels interests.
In essence, if you invite a friend to participate in a Blend, Instagram would compile a personalized feed of Reels that it believes would be appealing to both of you. This functionality bears some resemblance to Spotify’s Blend feature, introduced in 2021, which enables two users to merge their favorite songs into a single shared playlist.
#Instagram is working on Blend: #Reels recommendations based on reels you've shared each other and your reels interests 👀
ℹ️ Private between the two of you. You can leave a Blend at any time. pic.twitter.com/1kcssBuf7G
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) March 28, 2024
According to the screenshot, Blends would remain private between the participating users, and individuals would have the option to exit a Blend at any time. Instagram has not disclosed specific details about how Blends would function, including whether they would continuously refresh with new recommendations or if updates would occur at predefined intervals.
