Facebook and Instagram Year in Review: Personalized Features Roll Out

Meta Launches Year-End Review Features for Facebook and Instagram

Meta, previously operating as Facebook, has introduced “Year in Review” functionalities for its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. These new features allow users to reflect on and share highlights from the past year.

Facebook’s “Year Together”

Facebook users are now able to generate and share a personalized “Year Together” card. This card showcases the friends, emotions, locations, and individuals that held the most significance for them throughout 2021.

The new experience, presented directly within the Facebook feed, compiles a user’s activity on the platform into a readily shareable card. It is currently available worldwide and will remain accessible until December 30th.

Instagram’s “Playback” Feature

Instagram users can now create a unique end-of-year “Playback” time capsule to share on their IG Story. This feature utilizes the Stories Archive, enabling users to curate and select up to 10 stories to share with their followers.

To access Playback, users must have posted more than three Stories this year, or have their Stories Archive enabled. While the platform will offer suggestions, users retain full control over the content included.

An invitation to create a Playback will appear in users’ Instagram feeds. The feature will be available for several weeks.

A Shift from Top Nine Posts

Previously, Instagram users often independently created end-of-year summaries by posting their top nine images in a grid format. This year, Instagram provides an official, in-app tool for generating shareable year-end content.

Customization Options

Both Facebook and Instagram’s new features offer complete customization. Users can freely add or remove content and posts according to their preferences.

Meta confirms that these features are being rolled out globally to all users over the coming days.

Following a Trend of Year-End Recaps

The introduction of these features coincides with the growing popularity of shareable year-end recaps, largely driven by Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign, which receives widespread social media attention.

Facebook and Instagram are joining other major digital platforms in offering similar experiences. Reddit recently launched personalized recaps detailing user habits, and Snapchat is anticipated to release its “Year End Story” later this month.