Boomerang App: How to Make a Boomerang on Instagram in 2026

What happened to the Boomerang app

Instagram launched Boomerang as a separate app in 2015. It captured a quick burst of photos and stitched them into a mini video that played forward and backward on repeat.

In early March 2022, Instagram removed both Boomerang and its time-lapse app Hyperlapse from the Apple App Store and Google Play. App intelligence data reported by TechCrunch put their last day in the stores at March 1, 2022. An Instagram spokesperson said the company removed support for the standalone apps to focus on the main Instagram app, and that Boomerang's features would continue to be supported there.

If you still have the old app installed, it isn't being updated, and it may not work on current operating systems. There's no official way to reinstall it.

How to make a Boomerang in Instagram

On iPhone and Android

1. Open Instagram and swipe right from the feed, or tap + and select Story.
2. Find Boomerang in the camera's mode options. Instagram's Help Center lists it among the capture modes alongside Layout and Hands-free; depending on your app version, the modes appear in a list on the side of the screen or in a row under the capture button.
3. Point the camera at something moving: a toast clinking, hair flip, jump, splash or spinning object.
4. Tap the capture button once. Instagram shoots a short burst and turns it into a loop.
5. Use the loop options at the top of the editor, if shown, to change the effect (for example slow motion or echo) or trim the loop.
6. Add text, stickers or music, then tap Your story or Close Friends to share.

Save a Boomerang to post as a Reel

1. After recording, tap the download icon (or the three-dot menu and Save) before sharing.
2. Tap +, choose Reel, and select the saved clip.
3. Combine it with other clips, add audio and tap Next, then Share.

Check the framing in the Reels editor before sharing, since text and buttons overlay the edges of Reels. Our Story and Reels dimensions guide explains safe zones for text.

How to make a Boomerang from a Live Photo

If you shot a Live Photo on iPhone, you don't need to recreate the moment.

• In Instagram Stories: open your camera roll from the Stories camera, select the Live Photo and press and hold it until it converts to a Boomerang.
• In Apple Photos: open the Live Photo, tap the Live button and choose Bounce, which plays the clip forward and backward. Then use Save as Video from the More menu and upload the video anywhere on Instagram.

Our full guide to posting a Live Photo on Instagram covers both methods plus Android motion photos.

Boomerang alternatives

To make a Boomerang-style effect in a video editor, record a one to two second clip, duplicate it, reverse the copy, and place it straight after the original. Repeat the pair two or three times. Our best video editor apps for Instagram compares these tools in detail.

Troubleshooting Boomerang on Instagram

• Boomerang mode is missing: update Instagram, restart the app, and check both the side mode list and the options under the capture button.
• The loop looks jerky: record in better light. The camera shoots a burst of frames, and low light makes each frame blurrier.
• It saves as a still image: make sure you tapped the capture button in Boomerang mode rather than taking a normal photo.
• Nobody can hear the music: Boomerangs have no original sound. Add a music sticker, and note that music availability can vary for business accounts and by region.

Want more creative Story formats? See our Instagram Story hacks. When your Boomerang becomes a Reel, pair it with a focused set from our Reels hashtags or funny hashtags pages.