Soon, Instagram Reels That Can Be Viewed With a Password

Instagram is soon expected to show you reels that will be locked, requiring you to enter a password or a code to unlock them. These locked short-form videos on Meta’s popular social media platform are the latest attempt to give creators more tools to monetise their content. However, experts believe these could drive more engagement using the curiosity factor.

According to TechCrunch, Instagram is currently testing reels that will appear locked when scrolling through the short videos. Users will be required to unlock these reels with a hint. For instance, “my dog’s name” or “my birthday” could be among several hints users need to insert in the “Enter secret code” field to unlock reels.

A screenshot shared by TechCrunch shows a blurred reel with “Unlock this reel from design” text written over it. Users will also see a hint just below this text. In this case, the hint is “1st # in the caption,” referring to the first hashtag mentioned in the caption of the locked reel. Below this is a button that says “Enter secret code.” Tapping it opens a box where viewers can enter the secret code, derived from the hint, to unlock the reel.

While Instagram has not commented on the development, the report suggested the new feature could be useful to the growing community of creators and brands on the platform. Locking a reel could give creators more control over what content they want monetised without having to be excluded from Instagram's algorithm. Brands could use the feature for product reveals or just to “create buzz around launches.” However, this could also double as a “fun” feature for regular users who could use locked reels to share specific content with “specific friends.”

The idea of paywalled reels is new, and even though it will likely increase engagement on Instagram, there is a downside. Viewers are highly likely to skip the locked reel without trying to lock it because of the short attention span popularised by platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Whether the new feature will help Instagram increase growth is something only time will tell.

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