Instagram is finally letting people take control of their Reels feed instead of leaving everything to a mysterious algorithm. After testing the feature with select users last October, Instagram has now rolled out Your Algorithm to all English-speaking users worldwide.
The announcement came from Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and gives people a more direct way to create the kind of videos they actually want to see. At its core, Your Algorithm allows users to actively optimize their Reels experience.
The Reels tab now allows you to add or remove topics depending on what you like to see. For a limited time, Instagram is also allowing users to choose their top three interests for 2026, which Mosseri describes as a way to tell your algorithm what you want more of in the future.
How “your algorithm” actually works
Their algorithm works with Instagram’s existing recommendation systems rather than replacing them entirely. The app still takes into account things like what you watch, like, and skip, but now it also takes into account the topics you explicitly choose. This makes it easier to monitor your feed without having to aggressively tap “Not Interested” on dozens of posts.
Instagram users can adjust these settings at any time, not just during the window at the beginning of the year. You can revisit the settings, remove topics that no longer interest you, or add new ones if your interests change. The feature is currently available to all English-speaking users, with a wider rollout expected later.
There are still clear limits on how much control Instagram wants to give up. According to Engadget, this feature doesn’t allow users to switch back ads completely. For example, if you try to add “Ads” as something you want to see less of, it will simply return an error saying no results were found.
Interestingly, broader categories like “sponsored content” can be added, and even “AI” appears as an option, although this is likely to apply to videos about AI rather than posts created with it.
Instagram has continued to refine the way you interact with content, from the ability to revisit the Reels you’ve already watched to a new watch history feature to advanced editing and customization tools that help creators make their videos and feeds more precise.
The latest update now gives you an easier way to optimize your Instagram feed. Whether this results in better Reels or just a different way of scrolling remains to be seen, but at least the feed is now a little more tailored to your needs.
