Instagram is working on ‘Picks,’ a new feature designed to help people discover shared interests with their friends. The feature allows users to select their favorite movies, TV shows, music, books, and games. Instagram then compares those preferences with their friends’ lists and highlights where they overlap.

The feature was first spotted by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi on X, where he shared screenshots of the tool.

How the Picks feature on Instagram will works

Once a user opens the app and selects their favorite activities such as a book, a movie, or a song, Instagram’s system compares these choices to their friends’ selections. If another user also picks the same item, the first user receives a notification that they have a match with a friend.

The goal is to connect users with friends who have similar interests by showing them where their favorite activities overlap. Instagram wants to create a space where people can find others who enjoy the same activities. Picks mirrors apps such as Tinder and Bumble, which have long used shared interests to connect people.

Why Instagram is pushing interest-based features

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been clear about the company’s priorities. In a January update, he said the platform plans to enhance connectivity by improving messaging, and exploring new ways to connect with friends and make consuming content more social. Picks could fit directly into that strategy by turning shared entertainment preferences into a bridge for more conversations.

However, the bigger picture is competition. The platform wants to match the efforts of other video-sharing apps like TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube Shorts to keep its users and attract more. TikTok continues to dominate with algorithm-driven content discovery, while Snapchat emphasizes close-friend interactions.

Instagram has already introduced reposts, a friends tab, and an activity map.  These features resemble rival offerings. Picks is the next experiment that could combine personal interests with engagement to keep users active on the app. For now, the feature is only an internal prototype and not available publicly.

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