Instagram used to show posts in the order they were posted. It doesn't anymore by default, and a lot of people want that back: a feed that shows what the accounts you follow actually posted, in order, without an algorithm deciding what you see first.
Instagram does have a chronological-style view. It's just not the default, and it doesn't stay selected. Here's exactly how it works, where it falls short, and how to make it stick. If the posts bothering you are the "Suggested for you" ones, here is how to turn off Suggested for you on Instagram.
Quick answer: Instagram's Following tab shows posts from accounts you follow, newest first — the closest thing to a chronological Instagram feed. The catch is that it isn't saved as your default: close and reopen the app and you're back on the algorithmic Home feed. Stillfeed opens straight to Following every time, for free.
How to see only Following on Instagram
From the Instagram home screen, tap the Instagram wordmark at the top, then choose Following from the dropdown (the other option is Favorites, a shorter list you choose by hand). Following switches the feed to posts only from accounts you follow, ordered by post time — the nearest thing Instagram has to "in order."
What it does not do: remove Reels from the Reels tab, remove Explore, or stop Instagram recommending content elsewhere in the app. It only changes what fills the main feed. If you would rather lock the app than tune it, how to block Instagram on iPhone covers App Limits, Downtime and a Safari block.
Why it resets every time
Instagram doesn't treat Following as a saved preference. Force-quit the app, or sometimes just leave it in the background for a while, and the next launch lands back on the algorithmic Home feed with suggested posts mixed in. There's no setting buried in Instagram's menus that makes Following the permanent default — people have looked.
Workarounds people try
- Re-selecting Following every session. Works, but it's a tap you have to remember every single time, and it's easy to skip when you're in a hurry.
- Taking a longer break instead. If re-selecting Following is not enough, see how to take a break from Instagram for three ways to step back without deleting your account.
- Using Instagram on the mobile web instead of the app. The web version behaves the same way — Following isn't remembered there either.
- Third-party "chronological feed" apps that aren't Instagram. Avoid giving your login to anything that isn't Instagram's own site or app; that's a real account-security risk, not a shortcut.
How to tell which feed you are on
The quickest check is the label at the top of the screen. If the wordmark has a small arrow beside it, tap it: the menu shows which view is active. Another tell is the content itself. If you keep seeing posts from accounts you have never followed, or a "Suggested for You" block between posts, you are on Home, not Following.
In Following, you will reach the end of what is new faster than you expect, because only accounts you follow can appear. For many people that is the point: the feed has an edge, and you can put the phone down when you reach it. Instagram will not stop you from tapping over to Home or Reels afterwards, though, which is why a default that never changes matters more than a view you have to remember to choose.
Making Following the permanent default
We built Stillfeed to fix exactly this. It's a free in-app browser for iPhone that loads the real instagram.com, signed into your own account, and opens to the Following feed every time — not just the first time you ask for it.
What you get for free
- Instagram opens to your Following feed by default, every launch
- Reels and Explore removed from Instagram, and Shorts removed from YouTube
- No trial, no payment and no Stillfeed account needed
What Stillfeed Pro adds (optional)
Pro is optional, and the free Following default is enough for most people. For Instagram it adds Hide Stories and Block Feed, Block DMs and DMs only, and the time and focus tools such as a daily time limit. See how to hide Stories and Suggested for You posts for what that unlocks.
How to set it up
- Download Stillfeed from the App Store and open it.
- Choose Instagram and log in as you normally would — your credentials go straight to Instagram, never to us.
- The feed opens on Following by default, every time you come back.
For the rest of what Stillfeed removes from Instagram and YouTube, see how to block Reels and Shorts on iPhone.
Following, Favorites and Home compared
Instagram's feed menu offers three views, and they are easy to mix up. Home is the default: a ranked mix of accounts you follow plus recommended posts from accounts you do not. Following limits the feed to accounts you follow, newest first. Favorites limits it to a short list you pick by hand, also newest first.
If your goal is to see what the people you chose to follow actually posted, Following is the right view. Favorites is useful when you follow hundreds of accounts and only care about a few, but it means anyone not on the list is invisible until you switch back.
Following Reels
The Following view above changes the home feed. The Reels tab has its own filter. In April 2025 Social Media Today described the Reels tab as offering Following and Nearby filters, reached by tapping the "Reels" title at the top of the tab, and noted Instagram was testing more sorting options for some users (Social Media Today). Choosing Following there limits Reels to accounts you follow. It is a narrower Reels tab, not an absent one: the tab is still there, still autoplays, and still has no end. Instagram can change these filters, so if you do not see them, your app version may differ.
If you want Reels gone and not filtered, Instagram has no setting for that either; Stillfeed on Instagram removes them on iPhone.
Instagram Following feed not working
When people say the Following feed is not working, it is usually one of four things.
- You are on Home without knowing it. Instagram does not remember Following, as covered above, so a restart puts you on the ranked feed. Tap the Instagram wordmark and check which view is selected.
- Suggested posts at the bottom. The Following feed contains only accounts you follow, but Instagram has added suggested posts after you reach the end of it (Social Media Today). Reaching them means you are caught up.
- It looks short. Following only shows recent posts, so a few accounts that post rarely will not fill it. That is the feed working, not a fault.
- It will not load or the option is missing. Update Instagram from the App Store, force-quit the app and reopen it. If the option is still absent, the cause is on Instagram's side.
None of these is a setting you can fix once. Instagram does not let Following be the default (TechCrunch, 2022).
What a chronological feed does not fix
Switching to Following changes the order and removes recommended posts from the main feed. It does not change how long you stay. A feed in order still ends only when you decide it does, and the Reels tab and Explore are still one tap away in the Instagram app.
That is why we pair the Following default with removing those other doors. If the real problem is the pull of endless video, read how to turn off Suggested for You on Instagram and how to reset the Instagram algorithm, which cover what Instagram lets you change by hand.
On a foldable, the same Following-feed habit is covered in Instagram on iPhone Duo.
Common questions
Does Instagram have a chronological feed?
Not as a permanent setting. The Following tab shows posts from accounts you follow, newest first, which is the closest thing to chronological order Instagram offers — but it reverts to the algorithmic Home feed the next time you open the app.
Why does Instagram keep switching back to the algorithmic feed?
Instagram doesn't save Following as your default view. Each time you force-quit or reopen the app, it opens back on the recommended Home feed, so the Following tab has to be re-selected manually.
How do I see only the people I follow on Instagram?
Tap the Instagram wordmark at the top of the home screen and choose Following. It shows posts from accounts you follow, newest first, and you have to choose it again after each restart.
Why is my Instagram Following feed not working?
Most often you have been returned to the Home feed, or you reached the suggested posts that follow the end of Following. Check the view at the top, update the app and restart it.
Can an app make Following the permanent default?
Stillfeed can. It's a free in-app browser for Instagram that opens straight to the Following feed every time, with Reels and Explore already removed from Instagram.
