Instagram on iPad: where Reels appear and what you can turn off (2026)
Instagram's iPad app opens straight into Reels. Instagram said so when it launched the iPad app in 2025, and we could not find a setting in Instagram's help that turns Reels off or changes the start screen. What you can change: open Following from the left of Home and pick Latest for posts and reels from accounts you follow in time order, put Latest first in the view order, snooze suggested posts in your Feed for 30 days, and set a daily time limit. These steps all cover the iPad app. minulo, which hides the Reels tab on iPhone, has no iPad version.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about Instagram come from the sources listed below, checked on 2026-10-25. Menu names can change with app updates.
| Where or what | On iPad | Can you turn it off? |
|---|---|---|
| Start screen | The app opens into Reels. | We could not find a setting for this. |
| Following (left of Home) | All: recommended posts and reels from accounts you follow. Friends: from accounts you follow that follow you back. Latest: posts and reels from accounts you follow, newest first. | You can reorder the views so Latest comes first. Reels from people you follow still appear in it. |
| Suggested posts in Feed | Posts from accounts you don't follow. | Snooze them for 30 days (Options › Not interested › Snooze). |
| Daily limit | A time limit for Instagram as a whole. | It doesn't remove Reels. It sets a limit on your time. |
| minulo | Not available on iPad. | On iPhone, minulo hides the Reels tab for free. |
Where Reels appear on iPad
When Instagram announced the iPad app, it wrote that when you open the app you'll drop into Reels. Stories sit at the top, messages are one tap away, and the comments on a reel can open beside it while the reel stays full size. The announcement says the app is rolling out on iPad models with iPadOS 15.1 and later.
The iPad app also has a Following feed with three views. Instagram describes All as recommended posts and reels from accounts you follow, Friends as posts and reels from accounts you follow that follow you back, and Latest as posts and reels from accounts you follow in time order, newest first.
Can you turn off Reels on iPad?
We could not find a way in Instagram's help or in the iPad announcement as of October 2026. Neither mentions an option to turn off Reels or to open the app somewhere else. What you can do is go to Following each time and keep suggested posts out of your Feed for a while.
Put Latest first in Following
- Tap the Following icon on the left of Home.
- Tap All, Friends or Latest at the top to switch views.
- To change the order, tap the adjust icon at the top right, then touch and hold a view and drag it up or down.
- Tap Done at the top right to save.
This changes the order of the views inside Following. It doesn't change the screen Instagram opens to.
Snooze suggested posts for 30 days
- In your Feed, tap Options above a suggested post.
- Tap Not interested.
- Tap Snooze to pause all suggested posts in your Feed for 30 days.
The same screen also lets you stop seeing similar suggested posts from that creator or posts with certain words. Instagram's help lists the iPad app among the versions this article covers. It is about your Feed, so it doesn't remove Reels.
Set a daily time limit
- Tap your profile picture on the left to go to your profile.
- Tap Menu at the top right.
- Under How you use Instagram, tap Time management.
- Tap Daily limit and choose an amount of time.
Instagram's help says Teen Accounts start with a 1 hour daily limit, and a parent or guardian can choose to block Instagram once it is reached.
What minulo does and doesn't do
minulo is an iPhone app. It opens Instagram's official website inside the app, and with the gear next to Instagram you can turn on Hide the Reels tab, Hide Explore, Suggested posts, Hide Stories or Every tab but DMs. Hiding is free and your DMs keep working. The official Instagram app itself does not change. minulo can lock it with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block, and while it is locked its notifications don't arrive and minulo sends none of its own. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, longer blocks, Hard Mode and multiple block lists.
minulo has no iPad version, so on iPad the Instagram settings above are what you have. There is no Android version either.
Why does Instagram on iPad open to Reels?
That is how Instagram designed the iPad app. When it announced the app, Instagram said that when you open it you drop into Reels. It is not a bug and not a test.
Can I turn off Reels in the Instagram iPad app?
We could not find a setting for that in Instagram's help as of October 2026. You can switch to Following and choose Latest, snooze suggested posts in your Feed for 30 days, and set a daily time limit, but Reels stay in the app.
How do I see only people I follow on Instagram for iPad?
Tap the Following icon on the left of Home and choose Latest. It shows posts and reels from accounts you follow, newest first. All also shows only accounts you follow, but in recommended order.
Can I make Latest the default view in Following on iPad?
You can put it first. Tap the adjust icon at the top right of Following, drag Latest to the top and tap Done. This sets the order of the views, not the screen Instagram opens to.
Does minulo work on iPad?
No. minulo is an iPhone app and has no iPad version. On iPhone it opens Instagram's website with the Reels tab and suggested posts hidden, and your DMs keep working. Hiding is free.
Sources
