Instagram rolls out Reels watch history feature

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It finally happened. After years of users screaming into the void, Instagram has introduced the one feature that might just save our sanity: Watch History. 

Yes, you can now see all the Reels you’ve watched instead of frantically trying to remember which friend posted that hilarious cat-in-a-tutu video.

Announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri in his trademark “talking-to-camera” video, the feature feels like a long-overdue nod to user reality. 

“Have you ever tried to get back to a Reel that you’d seen on Instagram and you just can’t find it?” Mosseri asked rhetorically, as if describing a universal trauma. 

“Hopefully now you can find that thing you were trying to find that you couldn’t find before.” Translation: We finally fixed it.

Here’s how it works. In your Instagram settings, head to Your Activity → Watch History, and voilà, there’s your full lineup of recently viewed Reels, neatly sorted from newest to oldest. 

You can even flip that order, filter by account, or pick a specific date range if you’re feeling forensic. 

For now, though, Instagram only shows Reels from the past 30 days. Oh, and if you’d rather pretend you never doom-scrolled that much? 

You can delete items individually or wipe the slate clean in one tap.

It’s a small but mighty quality-of-life update, especially considering YouTube and TikTok have had similar features for years. 

Instagram’s version finally gives users a simple way to rediscover content they love, or cringe at, without playing digital detective.

The new feature comes as part of a broader Reels overhaul. 

Instagram recently extended Reels’ max length from 90 seconds to 3 minutes, added AI-powered dubbing in multiple languages, and now even shows you what your friends have liked or reposted.

So, yeah, Instagram’s finally letting you find that one Reel. You know that one, the one with the dancing llama.