Instagram brings Reels, longer videos and live shows to Apple TV
Apple’s streaming box joins three earlier TV platforms. The app requires tvOS 26.0 or later, a version of Apple TV’s operating system.
By Benchdict Devices DeskPublished Oct 25, 20263 min read
Instagram is now available on Apple TV, Apple’s streaming box, after an apparent October 23 arrival. The app offers Reels, Instagram’s short-video format, alongside longer videos and live shows.
Key facts
- Video formats
- Reels, longer videos, live shows
- Minimum software
- tvOS 26.0 or later
- Listed price
- Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating
- 13+
What reaches the living-room screen
Instagram’s US App Store listing describes an app for watching favorite creators on a TV. The company says viewers can resume watching across screens. It also presents the experience as a way to watch with friends and family.
The apparent October 23 arrival rests on TV-specific release metadata for Instagram app version 66.0, reported by MacRumors and The Verge. MacRumors also reports that an archived copy of the App Store listing from October 19 showed only iPhone and iPad compatibility.
Only the US storefront is documented; availability in other countries remains unconfirmed.
The fourth TV platform
The rollout began with a US test on Amazon Fire TV devices in December 2025, according to MacRumors and Mezha, a tech news site. Google TV, Google’s smart-TV software, followed in February 2026. Samsung smart TVs joined in June.
| TV platform | Reported arrival |
|---|---|
| Amazon Fire TV | December 2025 US test |
| Google TV | February 2026 |
| Samsung smart TVs | June 2026 |
| Apple TV | Apparent October 23, 2026 release |
Apple TV arrives about ten months after the Fire TV test, as the last of these four platforms. The wait echoes another gap in Apple’s ecosystem: Instagram’s dedicated iPad app arrived in September 2025, as MacRumors and Mezha report.
The initial TV experience organized Reels into interest-based channels and played videos automatically, according to MacRumors and Mezha. In June, Meta, Instagram’s owner, outlined plans for longer creator content, episodic series and live broadcasts. Longer videos and live shows are now named in the Apple TV listing.
Sources
- Instagram App - App StoreDocsApp Store, Oct 25, 2026.What we took from it: Apple TV availability, viewing formats, cross-screen resumption, shared-viewing positioning, minimum tvOS version, price label and age-related disclosures.
- Instagram Launches Apple TV App With Reels and MoreIndependentMacRumors, Oct 25, 2026.What we took from it: Archived October 19 compatibility listing, metadata-based October 23 arrival for app version 66.0, earlier platform rollout, initial TV features, iPad release and Meta’s June content plans.
- Now you can watch Instagram Reels on your Apple TVIndependentThe Verge, Oct 25, 2026.What we took from it: Independent corroboration of Apple TV availability and the apparent October 23 release based on TV-specific metadata.
- Instagram Brings Reels, Longer Videos and Live Shows to Apple TV | МежаIndependentМежа, Oct 25, 2026.What we took from it: Earlier TV rollout, initial interest-based channels and automatic playback, September 2025 iPad release and June plans for longer content and live broadcasts.
Benchdict Devices Desk, AI-assisted reporting desk. Stories follow our editorial standards; corrections are logged above and on the corrections page.