Instagram is cracking open the black box of its algorithm, at least a little. Starting today in the U.S., the platform is rolling out “Your Algorithm,” a new tool that shows you exactly which topics are shaping your Reels recommendations and lets you customize them in real time.
When you’re watching a Reel, you’ll now see a new icon in the top-right corner (two lines with hearts). Tap it, and you’ll open Your Algorithm, where Instagram displays a personalized summary of what it thinks you’ve been into lately, things like creativity, sports hype, fitness motivation, skateboarding, generated by your recent activity and summarized by AI.
You can also share this description to your Story, turning your algorithm into a kind of mini “Reels Wrapped.”
Below the summary, Instagram lists the topics it believes shape your tastes. You can:
- Mark topics you want to see more of
- Mark topics you want to see less of
- Add your own topics if something you care about isn’t included
Your Reels feed will then adjust accordingly.
How it compares to TikTok
TikTok introduced a similar “Manage Topics” feature last year, but with one major difference: TikTok only shows broad, generic topic categories. Instagram’s list is personalized to each user and lets you add entirely new interests, a more flexible system for creators and users who want precision over their feed.
Instagram says this is just the start. Your Algorithm will eventually expand to personalize the Explore feed and more surfaces across the app.
As algorithms increasingly drive what people see (and don’t see), users have been demanding more transparency and control. For creators, this is a potential new advantage: if fans can train their feeds to align with niche interests, discovery gets sharper, and relevance gets easier to maintain.
The feature launches today in the U.S. and will roll out globally in English soon.