Instagram is removing Linked Reels today. What small businesses should do

Instagram is removing Linked Reels from 28 October 2026. That is the tool that let you join one Reel to the next so viewers could move through a series. Social Media Today reports that Instagram is dropping the option to simplify the Reels experience, and that existing links will go as well. If you built how-to series, before-and-after sets or multi-part case studies around that button, viewers can no longer tap from part one to part two inside the app.

Your Reels themselves stay up. Views and Insights stay. The navigation between them does not.

What Linked Reels was, and what ends today

Linked Reels arrived in August 2025 so creators could string related clips together and keep people watching. You published part one, linked part two, and Instagram showed a way to jump along the chain.

From today that chain is gone. NetInfluencer summarises the same change: Instagram is removing series linking, while adding other creation tools such as using another Reel as a recording reference on iOS. Those new tools help you film a response clip. They do not replace a clickable path from episode to episode for your audience.

Key facts for busy owners:

• What ends: the option to link Reels into a series, plus existing links already set up.
• What stays: published Reels, view counts and Insights.
• When: beginning 28 October 2026.
• Why Instagram says it: to simplify the Reels experience.
• What is not confirmed: a full replacement that works the same way for every account. Meta has tested longer-form formats, but that is not the same as a confirmed handoff for every Linked Reels series.

This sits in a longer pattern. Platforms keep tightening how links and navigation work. We have already covered Instagram charging for links in posts, Facebook charging for some link posts, and Threads removing link-click stats. Linked Reels was free navigation between your own clips. That free path is what disappears today.

What this means for your business

If you only post one-off Reels, you may barely notice. If you teach in parts (how to book, how a job runs, a three-clip product story), the viewer journey breaks unless you rebuild it yourself.

Typical UK small-business patterns that relied on Linked Reels:

• Trade tutorials split into short steps (quote, prep, finish).
• Service explainers that need more than 60 or 90 seconds.
• Case studies told as before, during and after.
• Seasonal offers that send people from teaser to full detail.

Without the link, a stranger who lands on part two has no built-in next step. They either hunt your grid, follow a caption instruction, or leave. Captions help loyal followers. They are weak for cold viewers who arrived from Explore or a shared link.

The wider lesson is ownership. Instagram can change the product overnight. Your website, your email list and a clear offer page stay under your control. That is why we keep pointing people back to website design and development and steady digital paid marketing rather than building the whole plan around one app feature.

What to do this week

You do not need a full content reboot. You need clearer paths.

1. List every series that used Linked Reels. Note part order and which clip performed best.
2. Fix covers and opening seconds. Put the series name and part number on the cover (“Boiler noise, part 2 of 3”). Say the same line in the first two seconds of audio.
3. Rewrite captions with plain next steps. “Watch part 3 next” plus the exact title of that Reel. Pin that comment if you use pinned comments.
4. Use Highlights or a pinned Reel as a hub. Group related clips under one Highlight named for the series so new visitors can find the set from your profile.
5. Put the full story on your website. A short guide or project page with embeds, or a simple playlist of the same clips, gives Google and AI answer tools something stable to cite. People who bounce off Instagram still have somewhere useful to land.
6. Check paid boosts. If you were boosting part one and relying on the in-app link to finish the story, rewrite the creative so each boosted Reel stands alone or sends people to your site.

If Meta later ships a broader Series or long-form tab to your account, treat it as a bonus. Do not wait for it before fixing navigation.

FAQ

Are my old Reels deleted when Linked Reels ends?

No. Reporting on the change says published Reels, views and Insights stay. Only the links between Reels are removed.

Can I still tell a story in several Reels?

Yes. You just have to guide people with covers, captions, Highlights and your website. The platform will not join the episodes for you any more.

Is there an official replacement launching today?

Not as a confirmed like-for-like tool for every account. Instagram has tested other formats, including longer viewing experiences, but Linked Reels ending on 28 October 2026 is the clear, dated change to plan around.

Should I stop posting Reels?

No. Reels still reach people. The fix is to stop depending on one navigation feature, and to keep a clear path to your site and your offer.

Next step

If this change makes you realise too much of your marketing sits inside one app, start with the channel you own. GLC can help you turn multi-part Reels into a clear website guide or a tighter content plan. The easiest first look is the free website offer, or get in touch via contacts if you would rather talk it through.