How to use Instagram Co-Watching

How-to
By Kate Kozuch
published

Here's how to use Instagram Co-Watching, which lets you look at Instagram posts with friends

How to use Instagram co-watching
(Image credit: Instagram)

Instagram Co-watching is a new chat feature that lets you and your friends view posts from your Instagram feeds together over voice or videos calls.

With more people staying at home, knowing how to use Instagram Co-Watching could help make video chats more entertaining. Instead of scrolling Instagram alone, you can look at memes, celebrity content and other relatable posts along with the people in your calls.

Like all the best video chat apps, Instagram is a useful tool for staying in touch and connected to friends and family. And with Instagram Co-Watching, you can laugh and gossip as if you're scrolling through your feeds togethers. 

Before you learn how to use Instagram Co-Watching, keep in mind that you can't share images from non-public profiles if people in your video chat aren't following those accounts. Only public posts can be shown while Co-Watching. 

You'll also need to have 'Liked' any images you plan to use for Instagram Co-Watching. If you're scrolling Instagram while stuck at home and see a post you want to share with friends on a video chat later, hit the heart button beneath the image to like it. 

Once you've amassed a collection, read on for how to use Instagram Co-Watching. 

How to use Instagram Co-Watching

Step 1: Open the Instagram app (iOS, Android) and click on the paper airplane icon in the top right of your screen to access your direct messages. 

Step 2: Click the camera icon in the top right of your screen, next to your username. Search the person you want to use Instagram Co-Watching with or select their name from the suggested list, if it's shown. You can add up to 6 accounts to your video chat. 

Step 3: Select 'Start' to initiate the call and wait for your friends to answer. 

Step 4: Once your video chat has started,  click the 'Media' icon on the bottom of your screen.

(Image credit: Future)

Step 5: Select the image from the catalog of your 'Liked' posts you want to look at with the other people on your video call. You can switch the image on display at any time, and your friends can swap out their own liked posts, too.

Now that you know how to use Instagram Co-Watching, check out our Netflix Party guide to see how to watch Netflix with friends online for another way to stay connected when you can't see friends and family in-person.

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Kate Kozuch
Kate Kozuch

Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She covers smartwatches, TVs and audio devices, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.