Instagram to let you customize your Reels feed
What's the story
Instagram is testing a new feature that allows select users to customize their Reels feeds, with plans to expand to Explore. The move was announced by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, on Threads. He shared a screenshot of the feature in action and explained how it would work. The idea behind this test is to give users more control over their Instagram experience by letting them add or remove topics based on their interests.
User interface
The platform currently relies on indirect signals
The new feature will let users browse a list of suggested topics, select those they find interesting, and deselect others that no longer appeal to them. This direct feedback loop is meant to replace the indirect signals Instagram currently relies on, such as watch time or post interactions. The company hopes this update will make feed curation more transparent and reduce frustration around random or repetitive content.
Future plans
Meta's push for more user-guided recommendation feeds
While the test is currently limited to select users, it highlights Meta's continued efforts to make recommendation-driven feeds feel more user-guided rather than entirely machine-decided. The company has already been allowing users to mark individual posts as "Not Interested" or limit sensitive content. This new feature takes a more proactive approach toward customization, giving users greater control over their content preferences on the platform.