Skip to main content

Instagram’s Playback takes on Spotify’s 2021 recap feature

Instagram today announced Playback, a feature that lets you replay a curated selection of your stories shared throughout the year. It is reminiscent of the recap features we get on apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, and Facebook, so it’s only natural Instagram would get in on the action.

Playback makes use of Instagram’s Story Archive feature to surface up to 10 story posts, which a user can then share with their followers or close friends. Interestingly, Instagram does appear to take advantage or even inspiration from the very popular third-party Top Nine trends. Rather, the company is apparently trying to copy Spotify’s Wrapped format, taking advantage of the fact that it has its own platform for the recap to be shared, unlike Spotify.

Instagram's Playback feature.
Instagram

The format has become popularized in the past few years, first by music apps like YouTube Music and Apple Music with their respective Recap features, then extending to social apps with Facebook and Snapchat’s Year In Review. Even Reddit is jumping in on the action. Spotify’s Wrapped remains far and away the most popular, though, and that doesn’t seem likely to change.

Recommended Videos

When the recap is available, users will see a notification at the top of their Instagram feed. Once you click on it, you’ll then be able to customize the stories included in the stickers before you share — or you can just view it privately without sharing. It’s up to you.

Instagram Playback is available to all Instagram users today through December 31, the company said via Mashable.

Michael Allison
Former Mobile News Writer
A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…
Instagram will broadcast the Reels you like to everyone. I dread it.
Reels liked by friends on Instagram.

TikTok is currently staring at an existential crisis. If the Presidential miracle doesn’t come through and the social media site shuts down in the US on January 19th, a social media exodus is imminent.

I’ve seen that happen in India, when a platform with 200 million users went dark in a rush. Most didn’t get a chance to migrate. Some never recovered. Instagram happily lapped up the “TikTok migrants” and grew.

Read more
Instagram finally ends the most vexing side of its content feed
A person holding a phone with the Instagram app open on it.

One of the most infuriating things about opening a social media app is landing on a piece of content and then the app suddenly decides to refresh the feed before you are done fully watching it. Instagram is one of those platforms, and so is X.

Well, it seems Instagram has made the course correction and will no longer refresh the feed upon launching the app unless users physically swipe up or down to scroll past it. The change was confirmed by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri in an AMA session.

Read more
This Apple Watch feature was driving me crazy. Here’s how I fixed it
Smart Stack and Live Activity on the Apple Watch Series 10.

After living with my Apple Watch Series 10 for a short while, I noticed that I’d often look down and not see the watch face, which bothered me quite a lot. Instead, my gaze would be greeted by the Smart Stack.

I just wasn’t quite sure why, and I was getting annoyed. If you’re seeing the same thing, here’s why it’s happening and what you can do about it.
A new feature that I can't stand
My Apple Watch Series 10 with the Smart Stack and a Live Activity Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Read more