Before anything else, one honest warning. Facebook’s new “Your Algorithm” control is rolling out gradually, and Meta has published no country list and no finish date for the rollout. As of late October 2026, it could not be confirmed that the feature had reached accounts in Pakistan. So if you open Facebook today and cannot find the option, that does not mean you did anything wrong — it may simply not have reached your account yet. Update the app and check again later. This guide tells you exactly where to look, what to type, and what the control can and cannot do, so that you are ready the moment it appears on your phone.
What Is “Your Algorithm”?
“Your Algorithm” is a new control that Meta announced for Facebook on Tuesday 13 October 2026. It gives you a dedicated space where you can describe, in your own words, the topics you want to see more of and the topics you want to see less of in your Feed and Reels.
Until now, Facebook mostly guessed what you liked from your behaviour: the posts you liked, the comments you left, and the videos you watched. “Your Algorithm” adds a direct route. Instead of only reacting to posts, you can now state your preference plainly, in normal language, and Facebook adds that statement to the mix that shapes your recommendations.
The important detail is that you type free-form words, not pick from a fixed menu of categories. You are not limited to broad labels like “sports” or “news”. You can write a topic the way you would say it to a friend. For example, you could ask for more Pakistan cricket and less celebrity gossip. You keep two sides of the list: a “want more” side and a “don’t want” side. And you can add, remove, and change topics whenever you like — the list stays as you set it until you change it again.
How to Use It: Step by Step
There is no complicated setup. The control lives on the posts themselves, not buried in a settings screen. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Facebook app. Make sure you are on the latest version available in your app store. Updating the app is the first thing worth trying if the option is missing, but remember that an update alone does not guarantee the feature, because the rollout itself is gradual.
Step 2: Scroll your Feed or a Reels video. The control works on posts in Feed and Reels. Pick any post — it does not matter whose post it is, because the menu belongs to the post, not to the person who published it.
Step 3: Tap the three-dot menu on that post. Every post in Feed and Reels has a three-dot menu. Meta has also redesigned this menu so that the content controls are easier to reach.
Step 4: Tap “Your algorithm”. This opens the dedicated space where you manage your topics.
Step 5: Add the topics you want more of. Type them in your own words, one topic at a time. Be as specific as you can (more on this below).
Step 6: Add the topics you want less of. There is a separate section for the things you do not want. Put them here rather than mixing them into your “want more” list.
Step 7: Leave the menu and carry on scrolling. Your list is saved, and you can return to the same three-dot menu on any post later to add, remove, or edit topics.
There is also a second, quicker route. When you see a post you like or dislike, tap “Interested” or “Not interested” on it. Facebook may then ask you follow-up questions about what exactly you liked or disliked, and you can answer those in your own words too. This is a useful shortcut when a single post reminds you of a topic you want to adjust, but it is not the same as the full topic list (see the table below).
What Should You Write in Your Topics?
The quality of your list depends on how clearly you write. A few practical tips:
Be specific. “Pakistan cricket match highlights” will say more about what you want than just “sports”. “Cooking recipes in Urdu” says more than just “food”. The clearer the topic, the easier it is for Facebook to match it to posts.
Keep “more” and “less” separate. If you want more cricket but less gossip, put cricket on the “want more” side and gossip on the “don’t want” side. Writing both wishes into one line only confuses the message.
Start with a short list. Three or four topics on each side are enough to begin. You can always add more later, and a short list is easier to review when your feed starts to change.
Review the list after a few days. If a topic is not changing anything, check whether you wrote it too vaguely, or whether the topic is simply rare in your feed. Edit the wording rather than adding ten versions of the same topic.
A note on language. Meta has not said whether the Facebook version understands Urdu or Roman Urdu input. Instagram’s wider expansion was described as being in English, and for Facebook the language coverage is simply unverified. So if you type a topic in Urdu or Roman Urdu and nothing seems to change, try the same topic in English and see whether that makes a difference. Treat this as “try and see” — nobody has confirmed it either way yet.
What It Changes — and What It Does Not
This is the part most guides get wrong, so read it carefully. “Your Algorithm” does not hand you the steering wheel of your feed. It gives you a stronger voice in a system that still weighs many other things.
Your typed words are added to existing signals, not a replacement for them. Facebook still looks at what you like, comment on, and watch, along with thousands of other signals. Your typed topics join that mix. They do not switch the rest of it off.
Meta has not said how strongly a typed topic counts. Nobody outside Meta knows whether one typed topic outweighs a week of liking similar posts, or the other way around. So do not expect a promise like “type this and you will see it at the top tomorrow”. If a guide promises you a guaranteed result, it is guessing.
Meta says recommendations update in real time. That is Meta’s own claim — that changes can show up within the same session — and it has not been independently verified. Treat it as the company’s word, not a tested fact.
The confirmed scope is Feed and Reels only. Every report about this feature covers Feed and Reels. There is no confirmation that it covers Groups, Marketplace, or Stories, so do not assume your group posts or stories will change because of your topic list.
Nothing has been said about ads. Meta’s announcement covers Feed and Reels recommendations only. It does not say that your typed topics will change the ads you see, so do not count on that.
Privacy details are also unanswered. The announcement does not state whether your typed preferences feed into ad targeting, or how long they are kept. Until Meta says more, the safe assumption is that these questions are open, not settled.
In short: think of “Your Algorithm” as a way to speak up, not a way to take over. It is a real improvement over only liking and scrolling past posts, but it is still one input among many.
Your Controls at a Glance
Facebook already had several feed controls, and they still work alongside the new one. This table keeps them straight, because they do different jobs and last for different lengths of time.
| Control | Where to find it | What it does | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Algorithm topic list | Three-dot menu on any Feed or Reels post | Adds topics you want more of, and topics you want less of | Until you change it |
| Interested / Not interested | On the post itself | Tells Facebook you liked or disliked that post, with follow-up questions | Temporary effect on ranking |
| Favorites | Your existing Facebook controls | Lets chosen friends and pages show up first | Until you change the list |
| Snooze | Your existing Facebook controls | Temporarily hides a person, page, or group | Temporary hide |
| Unfollow | Your existing Facebook controls | Stops their posts without unfriending them | Until you follow again |
| Feeds tab | The Feeds tab in the app | Shows posts in newest-first order | Each time you open it |
The key difference to remember: tapping “Interested” or “Not interested” gives a temporary push up or down in ranking, while the “Your Algorithm” topic list stays in place until you edit it. Use the quick tap for one-off reactions, and use the topic list for the standing preferences you want to keep.
If You Don’t See “Your Algorithm” Yet
This is the most common situation for readers in Pakistan right now, so here is what to do:
First, update the Facebook app. Open your app store, check for a Facebook update, and install it if one is waiting. This is the advice going around from secondary sources — it is not a requirement Meta itself has stated — but it is the sensible first step.
Second, check the three-dot menu on several posts. Look on both Feed posts and Reels videos. Do not go looking for the control in Settings: every report about the Facebook version points only to the three-dot menu on a post. There is no Facebook profile or Settings route found for this feature. (The Settings route you may read about elsewhere belongs to Instagram, not Facebook — see below.)
Third, wait and check again later. Meta has given no date by which every user will have it. A missing menu item today says nothing about next week.
Fourth, ignore shortcuts that promise to unlock it. Only the in-app menu counts. Do not install third-party apps or follow websites that claim they can switch the feature on for you — they cannot, and they are a good way to put your account at risk.
Facebook vs Instagram: Don’t Mix Them Up
Part of the confusion around this feature comes from Instagram, which got its own version first. Keep the two apart:
Instagram launched its version for Reels in the United States on 10 December 2025, extended it to Explore on 15 April 2026, and then to Feed, Reels, and Explore more widely in English on 10 June 2026. Its entry points are different too: an icon at the top-right of Reels or Explore, or a path through Settings and activity, then Content preferences.
None of that automatically applies to Facebook. The Settings path is documented for Instagram only. Instagram also shows extras like a summary of the topics shaping your recommendations and labels on recommended posts — and no source confirms that Facebook shows those extras. So if you read a guide describing a topic summary or a label on a post, check whether it is talking about Instagram before expecting the same thing on Facebook.
One last aside: Threads, Meta’s other app, has a separate related feature called “Dear Algo”. It is not the same control as Facebook’s “Your Algorithm”, so do not expect the two to share settings.
Your Old Controls Still Work
Nothing here replaces the controls you already had. Favorites still lets your chosen friends and pages come first. Snooze still gives you a break from someone without unfriending them. Unfollow still removes their posts from your feed while keeping the friendship. And the Feeds tab still shows posts newest-first when you want a simple timeline instead of ranked recommendations. “Your Algorithm” sits on top of these, not instead of them. If you already have a system that works for you — for example, Favorites for family and the Feeds tab for news — keep it, and use the new topic list only for the gaps it leaves.
This guide is based on Meta’s 13 October 2026 announcement, as reported by TechCrunch. Meta’s announcement itself describes the rollout only as “rolling out”, with no country list and no completion date, which is why this guide leads with the availability warning rather than promising the feature to every reader.
Also read: WhatsApp Is Testing an Instagram Reels Shortcut in Chats (Android Beta) and WhatsApp Status Privacy: Hide Your Status from Specific People
FAQs
Q1: Is “Your Algorithm” available in Pakistan?
Not confirmed. Meta has published no country list and no finish date for the rollout, and as of late October 2026 it could not be confirmed on Pakistani accounts. If you cannot find it, update the Facebook app and check the three-dot menu on Feed and Reels posts again later.
Q2: If I type a topic, will I definitely see more of it?
No, not guaranteed. Your typed topics are combined with your existing signals, like likes, comments, and watch behaviour, and Meta has not disclosed how strongly a typed topic weighs against those signals. Expect your feed to shift over time, not to change overnight on one topic.
Q3: Where exactly do I find the control?
In the three-dot menu on any post in Feed or Reels, under “Your algorithm”. There is no Settings route for the Facebook version — the Settings path you may read about belongs to Instagram’s version, not Facebook’s.
Q4: Does it work for Groups, Stories, or ads?
Not confirmed. All reporting covers Feed and Reels recommendations only. There is no confirmation that it changes Groups, Marketplace, or Stories, and Meta has not said that typed topics affect ads. Treat anything beyond Feed and Reels as unverified for now.