Instagram has unveiled a new “Watch History” feature that allows users to access all the Reels they have previously viewed, matching a capability TikTok has offered for several years.
This addition is useful when interruptions like calls or app closures cause users to lose track of interesting videos. Instead of struggling to find these clips, users can now revisit them through their account settings.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in an announcement, “Have you ever tried to get back to a reel that you’d seen on Instagram and you just can’t find it? Well, there is a new feature that should help. If you go to ‘Profile’ and under ‘Settings,’ under ‘Your ‘Activity,’ there’s Watch History now, so you can see every reel that you’ve ever watched.”
Users can filter their watch history by time periods such as the past week or month, sort videos in chronological or reverse chronological order, and organise them by creator. The feature also lets users delete Reels from their history.
Before this update, finding lost videos meant downloading personal data and manually searching through it. Now, the process is much simpler, improving the user experience.
This move is part of Meta’s ongoing effort to improve Instagram Reels with features inspired by TikTok. Recently, Instagram also introduced the ability for creators to link multiple Reels in a series and enabled Picture-in-Picture viewing.
The new Watch History function is expected to increase user engagement by making it easier to rediscover content, helping Instagram remain competitive in the short-form video space.