Technology · NEWS EXPLAINER
Facebook’s “Your Algorithm” lets you tune Feed and Reels: what it changes and what it does not
The new control can add or remove topics and turn Interested or Not interested feedback into follow-up questions. It changes recommendation inputs, not Facebook into a fully chronological feed.
Facebook is rolling out a feature called Your Algorithm that lets people see and edit topics used to shape recommendations in Feed and Reels. It is available from the three-dot menu on recommended content, and Meta says the system can react within the same session.
The feature offers more explicit input, but it is not a master switch for every post a person sees. Facebook still ranks content with many signals, availability may vary during rollout, and Meta has not described the tool as a chronological-feed setting.
Where to find the new control
On a recommended post or Reel, open the three-dot menu and choose Your Algorithm. The panel shows topic signals and lets a user add, remove or adjust interests that inform later recommendations.
Meta describes a rollout rather than universal instant availability. If the option is missing, that does not prove the account is ineligible; the practical step is to keep the app updated and check the menu again as deployment expands.
Feedback can become a conversation
The familiar Interested and Not interested choices remain useful. With the new system, Facebook may ask why a person liked or disliked a recommendation, allowing a reply in ordinary language instead of forcing a selection from a short list.
Meta says large language models interpret the reply alongside context, intent and existing signals. The company says recommendations can adjust in real time, including within the same viewing session, though an individual result will still depend on the rest of the ranking system.
What the feature does not promise
Your Algorithm does not make Feed entirely chronological, erase advertising rules or give a user a complete list of every ranking factor. It is a way to send clearer preference signals into an automated recommendation system, not a guarantee that every future post will match those preferences.
Users should also separate topic controls from account, privacy and ad settings. The announcement concerns content recommendations; it does not say that choosing a topic changes who can see a profile, how personal data is retained or every ad category shown.
Why this matters beyond one menu
Meta previously introduced a related Your Algorithm control on Instagram, while Threads has offered a Dear Algo command for temporary topic requests. Bringing a persistent topic panel to Facebook extends the company’s broader effort to make AI-driven ranking more legible and responsive.
The most useful test is practical: make one clear topic change, browse Feed and Reels for several sessions, and revise it if results drift. Treat the panel as an adjustable input rather than proof that the recommendation model has become fully transparent.
