Instagram is doubling down on collaborative content experiences with the rollout of Blend, a new feature for Reels, and early testing of Storylines, a potential evolution of Stories designed for group storytelling.
Blend: Shared Reels, Tailored Together
After over a year in development, Blend is now officially available to all users. The feature lets friends or group chat members create a shared feed of recommended Reels, curated based on each participant’s viewing habits and interactions. The result is a dynamic stream that evolves in real time as users continue to share Reels within the chat.
Designed to turn casual content-sharing into a more interactive and communal experience, Blend allows users to see who recommended which video. Any reactions or comments on a Reel trigger in-chat notifications, further encouraging conversation and engagement within the group.
With Reels sharing already among the most popular actions on Instagram, Blend offers a more seamless, co-viewing alternative to sending videos individually.
Storylines: Collaborative Stories in the Works
Alongside the Blend rollout, Instagram is testing Storylines, a feature aimed at extending the Stories format into multi-user narratives. First spotted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Storylines would let friends who follow each other link their individual Stories into a shared thread.
Credits: Alessandro Paluzzi
This could be especially useful for events, trips, or shared experiences—where each participant contributes their unique perspective to a larger, unified story. Public Storylines could help creators boost reach and visibility, while private ones would still show that more content has been added, potentially prompting curiosity and new connections.
Although Storylines has not entered public testing, Instagram confirmed it’s exploring ways to deepen interaction around Stories and DMs, which have become the platform’s core engagement drivers. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has cited increased participation and more meaningful connections as top goals for the app moving into 2025.
What’s Next?
While Blend is live for all users, there’s no word yet on a public release for Storylines. Instagram has yet to confirm broader rollout plans but continues to experiment with features that make content consumption more social, participatory, and personalised.
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