Instagram beefs up its social features for August

Instagram is set to roll out a series of updates in August focused on social relationships and sharing between friends. The stated goal: bring users closer to their inner circles and strengthen interaction on the platform, while leaving full control over privacy.

A new “Friends” tab in Reels

One of the major changes will be the arrival of a “Friends” tab in the Reels section. It will gather favorite videos shared or liked by your contacts, making it easier to discover content recommended by people you actually know. A way for Instagram to lean into social discovery, rather than relying solely on the algorithm.

Native reposts finally available

No more workarounds or third-party apps: Instagram will build a native repost feature directly into the app. You'll be able to reshare content on your profile or in your stories, while automatically crediting the creator. This option aims to encourage virality and smooth out content circulation.

Location sharing in DMs

Another new feature: the ability to share your location via a map directly in your private messages. Whether it's for a meetup, a place recommendation, or an event, everything stays fully customizable and controllable thanks to advanced privacy settings.

Privacy at the heart of it all

Instagram promises fine-grained control over these new features: choosing visibility, managing who can see or share your content, and disabling it at any time. The idea is to encourage closeness without sacrificing security or control over your data.

Why this matters

These changes are part of a broader trend: refocusing social media on authentic, targeted interactions, rather than constant public exposure. With these tools, Instagram hopes to build loyalty among its users while moving closer to habits already popular on other platforms like BeReal or Snapchat.