Instagram Launches New ‘Watch History’ Feature for Reels, Ending Endless Scrolling

It takes just one lost reel to turn Instagram from a fun platform to an annoying social media app where nothing is found once it disappears. But not anymore. Instagram has rolled out a new feature called “Watch History” that lets users easily revisit any Reel they’ve watched before, ending the long hunt for that one video that showed up on your feed and then vanished forever.

The new feature, announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri, makes it easier to rewatch Reels you’ve previously viewed without needing to save them. In a post on his broadcast channel, Mosseri explained that the Watch History option can be found by heading to Profile- Settings - Your Activity - Watch History. From there, users can scroll through their viewed Reels, filter by date, or even check out videos from specific creators they’ve engaged with in the past.

For years, Instagram users have complained about the lack of a history section, something that apps like TikTok and YouTube already offer. Once a Reel was gone from your feed, it was nearly impossible to find it again unless you had liked or saved it. With the Watch History tool, Instagram is finally fixing that frustration and catching up to competitors in a meaningful way.

The update will also help creators, who often rely on repeat views and engagement. Users can now go back and rewatch tutorials, comedy clips, or dance trends without worrying about losing them. For regular users, it’s simply a relief - no more endless scrolling or trying to remember keywords to search for that one funny or inspiring video.

This update comes as part of Instagram’s broader effort to refine user experience and safety on the platform. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, also announced recently that teen accounts will now be restricted to seeing only PG-13 content. That means younger users won’t come across posts featuring sexual content, drugs, or dangerous stunts.

According to Meta’s blog post, the company will now hide or avoid recommending posts with strong language, risky challenges, or any material that could encourage harmful behaviour, such as videos showing marijuana paraphernalia.

Read More: Instagram’s New Update Will Restrict Teen Accounts to PG-13 Content, But Is It Enough?