How to Use Instagram’s Privacy Controls to Manage What’s Visible in Friends Tab Activity: Step-by-Step to Turning Off the New Friends Reels Feature

Instagram has become more than just a photo-sharing app — it’s a space for connecting with friends, discovering trends, and exploring what the people you care about are engaging with. With the launch of Instagram’s new friends tab, users can now see public content your friends have interacted with, including likes and comments on reels, reposts, and even location sharing via the Instagram map. While this feature helps users better connect, it also raises new concerns around privacy and visibility.

If you’re wondering how to use Instagram’s privacy controls to manage what’s visible in friends tab activity, you’re not alone. Whether you want to disable certain features, control reels in the friends tab, or choose how to responsibly share your location, this guide will walk you through the settings and activity options that give you more control. We’ll also cover how to turn off the new friends reels feature so your activity in the friends tab stays private — just the way you want it.

Understanding the Friends Tab on Instagram

Instagram’s new friends tab is a part of the platform’s effort to enhance social interaction and help you stay closer to the people you know. This feature, positioned at the top of reels or as a new tab within the reels feed, allows you to see which reels the people you care about are liking, commenting on, and reposting. It’s designed to make it easier to connect with friends, discover content they’re engaging with, and easily start conversations around shared interests.

What Instagram Added in the New Friends Tab

With this rollout, Instagram added several new elements under the friends reels tab. You can now see content your friends have liked, reels the people you care about have interacted with, and even recommendations from blends you’ve started with others. This is part of a broader vision by Meta to improve how users share your location with friends, interact with trending content, and use features that highlight followers you follow back or friends on Instagram.

Another major part of this rollout includes location sharing. When enabled, the Instagram map now shows you a location sharing experience where you can see where friends have liked or interacted with posts. These updates are all part of the sharing experience on the map, aiming to create a more personal, yet connected environment.

41% of users say they modify their privacy settings within a week of Instagram releasing a new feature.

How Friends on Instagram Can See Your Likes and Comments

The activity in friends tab includes your visible likes, comments, and reposts on public posts — especially reels. This means that anything you like or comment on within public or suggested content may be shown in the friends tab. So, when you interact with a post that’s public content your friends can access, that action may appear in their friends tab activity.

This visibility is meant to help you see which reels are popular among your circle, but it can feel invasive if you prefer more privacy. Fortunately, Instagram is also rolling out controls for what’s shown, giving users the option to manage visibility — including who sees their interactions, who can view reposts, and whether their location with friends they pick is visible at all.

By understanding the purpose and layout of the friends reels tab, users can make informed decisions about how to interact with content. Whether you want to take full advantage of the social visibility or control over your location sharing, knowing what’s included in the tab in reels is the first step in customizing your experience.

How to Adjust Instagram Privacy Settings for the Friends Tab

As Instagram introduces more features to showcase content your friends have liked or interacted with, understanding how to manage your privacy settings becomes essential. The good news is: Instagram is also rolling out controls to give users greater authority over their data, visibility, and shared interactions. Here’s how you can customize what’s visible in the friends tab to strike the right balance between connection and control.

I love seeing what my close friends are watching, but I also don’t want everything I do on the app to be public. Once I figured out how to tweak the settings and avoid showing up in the Friends Tab, I felt like I had more control again.

Hide Your Likes and Comments Activity

If you prefer that others don’t see the likes and comments on reels you interact with, you can limit this visibility through your settings and activity panel. Currently, you can’t completely hide your actions from the friends reels tab, but you can avoid engaging with public content your friends may come across. A practical tip: switch to Close Friends when sharing Stories or limit your activity to private accounts when possible.

For now, avoid liking or commenting on reels you wouldn’t want appearing in the activity in friends tab — especially if you’re unsure whether the content is public or part of a blend recommendation. Instagram is expected to give users more granular control soon, but for now, your safest bet is to engage with caution.

Manage Who Can See Your Reposts and Reels

The new interface lets you repost content directly into your followers’ feed or onto your own. If you’re worried about that content appearing in the friends reels tab, check your privacy settings under “Settings > Privacy > Reels and Remixes.” Here, you can disable remixing and prevent reposts from being shown to certain followers — especially if they’re followers you follow back.

Instagram is also testing features that will allow you to choose which reels can be reposted, giving you even more control in the future. For now, limit reposting public content or use Close Friends if you want to keep things more private.

Control Visibility on the Instagram Map

One of the most talked-about updates is location sharing within the Instagram map. When enabled, this feature lets you choose to share your location with specific friends, helping you responsibly share your location in real time. However, it also means others might see what areas you’re frequenting or interacting from — especially if you’ve allowed Instagram to collect that data.

To limit or turn off location sharing at any time, go to “Settings > Location > Sharing” and select “Only Me” or choose specific people you trust. You can also adjust how your location with friends you pick appears on the map and in the reels feed.

Instagram’s evolving design gives users more social visibility, but also increasing tools to control over their location sharing, likes, comments, and reposts. By exploring and adjusting your settings regularly, you can make sure your Instagram experience reflects your comfort level with sharing.

In late 2023, Instagram began testing the Friends Tab in select markets, highlighting content users’ friends interacted with. According to TechCrunch, the goal was to help users “better connect with people they care about most.” Early feedback was mixed: while engagement increased among younger users, privacy-conscious users expressed concern over the visibility of their activity.

How to Turn Off the New Friends Reels Feature

As part of its ongoing updates, Instagram added a social feature called the friends reels tab, which highlights reels the people you care about are watching, liking, commenting on, or reposting. While the feature is meant to help you connect with friends and discover reels in the friends tab, not everyone wants their interactions displayed so openly. If you’re looking for ways to turn off the new friends reels feature, here’s what you need to know.

Steps to Disable Reels Shared with Friends

As of now, there isn’t a dedicated toggle to fully disable the friends reels tab. However, you can reduce your visibility and control what’s shown in the friends tab by adjusting several privacy settings:

1. Limit Reel Interactions
   Avoid liking or commenting on public reels that can be surfaced in the tab in reels. This will reduce your presence in the feed of others.

2. Adjust Your Account Privacy
   Go to “Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy” and switch your account to Private. This ensures only approved followers see your activity.

3. Manage Repost Visibility
   Under “Settings > Privacy > Reels and Remixes,” you can turn off reposting and disable remix features, reducing the chances of your activity in friends tab.

4. Control Activity Sharing
   Check “Settings > Activity Status” to ensure your settings and activity visibility are limited. Turn off activity status and limit content your friends have liked from being shown.

5. Location Sharing Preferences
   Navigate to “Settings > Location > Sharing” and either disable location sharing or choose only select people for the location sharing experience.

While these steps won’t completely remove the friends tab, they give you strong control over what appears there — particularly when it comes to Instagram reels, comments, and reposts.

Alternatives to Reels for Staying Connected with Friends

If you’re opting out of the new friends tab, you don’t have to lose connection with your community. Use Close Friends to share more privately, or interact via Stories and DMs, which don’t currently feed into the friends reels tab.

You can also tag friends in content you want to share personally or start blends for customized recommendations without broadcasting your interactions. This way, you maintain a sharing experience on the map without compromising your privacy.

As Instagram continues rolling out controls for what’s shown, expect more granular settings that could soon allow you to turn off the new friends reels feature directly. Until then, managing your settings, location sharing, and activity thoughtfully is the best path forward.

New Instagram Features That Affect Privacy

Instagram is constantly evolving, and with each update, new tools are introduced that impact how your information is shared. Some of these changes are aimed at improving your ability to connect with friends, while others — like the friends tab and reels feed visibility — can unintentionally expose more of your activity than you may realize. Understanding these new Instagram features is key to protecting your privacy and shaping your in-app experience.

Repost Visibility Settings

The repost feature has become more integrated into the platform. Whether you’re reposting a reel, story, or post, these actions may now be shown in the friends tab, where others can see that you’ve engaged with content.

Currently, there’s no universal way to disable all repost visibility, but you can minimize exposure by:

• Sharing content only to Close Friends

• Avoiding reposts of public content your friends may also follow

• Turning off the ability for others to remix or reshare your posts under Settings > Privacy > Reels and Remixes

Additionally, when you repost, the content is typically credited to the original poster, but your interaction becomes part of your friends’ feed — another reason to consider what you amplify.

65% of Instagram users under 35 said they are concerned about their privacy when new features are launched.

Changes in How Likes or Comments Are Displayed

In the friends reels tab, the visibility of likes and comments has become more prominent. When you like or comment on a post — especially a reel — that action may be surfaced in your friends’ tab, regardless of whether they follow the original creator. This shift emphasizes public engagement and shows you exactly which reels the people you care about are interacting with.

The key thing to remember is that Instagram’s new friends features prioritize shared interests over privacy by default. To limit your footprint:

• Avoid liking or commenting on viral or public reels

• Use private interactions like DMs or Story replies when engaging

How Instagram Uses Your Activity to Connect with Friends

The idea behind the friends tab and recommendations from blends is to surface content based on shared actions and behaviors. If both you and someone you follow like a particular video, Instagram may highlight that content in the reels feed with a note like “friends have liked this.”

This system is driven by your:

• Reels views

• Engagement (likes, comments, reposts)

• Location data (if enabled)

• Participation in group blends or shared content

Instagram is also experimenting with personalized overlays like “friends will help you see” or “see which reels the people you care about are watching,” to encourage interaction. While this can make recommendations feel more relevant, it also places your behavior under a microscope.

Fortunately, you can maintain privacy by monitoring your settings and activity, choosing when to share your location with friends, and staying aware of how Instagram’s new tools affect your exposure.

Best Practices for Using the Instagram App Privately

Even with Instagram’s new friends features and reels tab visibility changes, you can still take steps to keep your activity more private and intentional. These best practices are for users who want to connect with friends while staying in control of their digital footprint — especially when features like location sharing, reposts, and public likes or comments can make your presence more visible than intended.

Using the Instagram Close Friends Feature

The Close Friends tool is one of the most powerful privacy controls Instagram offers. When posting Stories, selecting Close Friends allows you to share content only with a limited, trusted group — no one else can see it. This is ideal for:

• Sharing personal updates

• Posting sensitive content without broadcasting it

• Avoiding interaction that might appear in the friends tab

Additionally, when using Close Friends, anything you share won’t feed into the public content your friends might see via blends or algorithmic recommendations. This makes it a go-to feature for private sharing.

When the Friends Tab first appeared on my Instagram, I didn’t realize it was showing my likes and reposts to others. I was surprised when a friend mentioned a reel I hadn’t shared directly — I quickly checked my privacy settings and started using Close Friends for more personal content. It made me rethink how I interact with public posts.

Customize Who Can Interact with Your Content

Another effective step is modifying who can like, comment, or repost your content. Here’s how:

• Go to Settings > Privacy > Comments to restrict or block unwanted users

• Under Reels and Remixes, toggle off remixing or repost permissions

• Turn off tagging in Settings > Tags to control who can associate their content with yours

These tools help manage how others interact with your profile and prevent your content from being credited to the original poster or redistributed across other feeds — especially the friends reels tab.

Also consider limiting followers you follow back, as this is one group whose engagement with your content is often prioritized by Instagram’s algorithm when building the activity in friends tab.

Final Tips for Staying Private on Instagram

1. Review All Settings Regularly
   Instagram often updates its settings. Take time each month to review settings and activity panels, especially around reels, tags, and location sharing.

2. Use the “Only Me” Option Where Available
   For features like Instagram map or location with friends you pick, use privacy filters like “Only Me” or select individuals rather than your full friend list.

3. Avoid Overusing Public Engagement Features
   The more you interact with public reels or comment on content from viral accounts, the more visible your activity becomes in the friends tab.

4. Watch for New Instagram Features
   Instagram is rolling out controls continuously. New privacy options — like the ability to turn off the new friends reels feature — may become available soon. Stay informed through Instagram’s updates page or blog.

5. Log Out or Use a Secondary Account for Exploration
   If you just want to browse or interact freely without activity being logged to your main account, use a secondary account or browse while logged out.

By following these tips, you can stay in control of what’s shown in the friends tab while still enjoying and using the Instagram platform to share, connect, and explore.

Conclusion

As Instagram evolves with features like the friends reels tab and location sharing, managing your privacy is more important than ever. Whether you’re trying to turn off the new friends reels feature, limit what’s shown in the friends tab, or just maintain tighter control over likes, comments, and reposts, the platform offers tools that can help — if you know where to find them.

By customizing your settings and activity, using tools like Close Friends, and staying informed about new Instagram features, you can shape your Instagram experience to match your comfort level. With a few strategic tweaks, you can enjoy connecting without oversharing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the new feature in Instagram’s Friends Tab update?

The new feature in Instagram’s Friends Tab highlights reels the people you care about most are creating, liking, and sharing. It’s designed to deepen connections by surfacing real-time activity from your close network — but it may also expose more of your behavior than expected.

How do I access your Friends Tab on Instagram?

To access your Friends Tab, open the Instagram app and go to the Reels Tab. If the update is live for your account, you’ll see a dedicated section labeled “Friends” at the top of the screen — where you’ll find reels your mutuals are engaging with.

How does Instagram let you choose to responsibly share your location?

Instagram allows users to choose to responsibly share their location using the Instagram Map feature. You can limit access by selecting “Only Me” or customizing the list of friends you pick to share your real-time location with.

Will I receive a notification if someone sees my activity in the Friends Tab?

No, Instagram does not currently send a notification when your likes, reposts, or comments appear in someone’s Friends Tab. However, your visibility increases as you engage with more public content.

What does “Map and See” mean in Instagram’s new privacy experience?

The phrase “map and see” refers to the expanded location sharing interface. With this, users can view a map to check where friends have posted or interacted with content — part of a broader update to enhance the sharing experience on Instagram while providing more context to your feed.

Author Bio