Instagram is gearing up to launch “Blend,” a feature designed to create a shared Reel experience within direct messages. After a year of testing, the platform appears ready to roll out this new tool, which aims to streamline how users discover and share content with friends. Instead of individually forwarding Reels, Blend generates a combined feed based on both users’ viewing habits and interactions.

This feature essentially merges the suggested Reels that each person would see individually into a single, collaborative stream. The Blend feed dynamically updates, reflecting any new Reels shared within the chat, ensuring the content remains relevant to the evolving interests of both users.

Instagram hopes this will encourage more frequent sharing and interaction, capitalizing on the popularity of Reels and the increasing use of DMs.

However, the usefulness of Blend might depend on how aligned users’ interests are. While it simplifies sharing, the appeal of forwarding specific, relevant clips to different friends based on their tastes may not be fully replicated. Despite some skepticism, Instagram is pushing forward with this feature, with executives highlighting it as a key component of their 2025 messaging engagement strategy. Whether Blend will become a widely adopted tool remains to be seen, but it’s poised to appear in users’ DM sections soon.