Meta brings tap-to-pause feature for Instagram Reels

Meta-owned Instagram has rolled out the much-awaited feature for Reels that offers users the option to pause the video.

It's been close to five years since Instagram introduced Reels. Since then, billions have been actively consuming content on the platform, but they didn't have an option to pause.

Finally, Instagram seem to have heard the prayers of the billions of users to bring a simple 'tap-to-pause' feature.

Before this March 2026 update, users had to press and hold their finger down on the screen to pause the reel video. And, the user had to be in that position or else lifting the finger would resume the video. This was a serious user interface limitation.

Instagram brings Tap-to-Pause feature for Reels.

Now, with the 'tap-to-pause' Instagram has provided more control. With this change, users will also see the 'Mute' option after tapping to pause.

In a related development, Meta has announced that it will discontinue end-to-end encryption on Direct Messages on Instagram.

In the revised Instagram FAQ page, Meta has confirmed that it will discontinue the user-privacy-centric feature effective May 8, 2026.

The E2EE tech is complex and expensive due to high development, infrastructure, and maintenance costs, so Meta has made the decision to remove it in Instagram DM.

As the deadline gets close (May 8, 2026), Instagram users will begin to see pop-up messages with instructions on how to download photos and videos, and transfer them to their phone or a computer storage.

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