The Easiest Way to Download Instagram Reels on Your iPhone for Free

by

Ever stumbled upon an amazing Instagram Reel—a hilarious clip, a stunning travel video, or a recipe you must try—only to find there’s no simple “Download” button? It’s a common frustration. While there are many third-party apps and websites that promise to do the job, they are often filled with ads or raise privacy concerns.

Fortunately, there’s a powerful, safe, and free method right on your iPhone: Apple’s Shortcuts app.

By setting up a simple shortcut, you can create a one-tap download button that saves any Instagram Reel directly to your Photos app, without the watermark. Here’s how to do it.

Contents hide
1 What You’ll Need
2 Step 1: Set Up the Shortcut (One-Time Only)
3 Step 2: Download Any Instagram Reel
4 A Quick Word on Copyright and Courtesy
5 Conclusion

What You’ll Need

  • An iPhone running a recent version of iOS.
  • The official Instagram app.
  • The Shortcuts app (it’s pre-installed on most iPhones, but you can re-download it from the App Store for free).
Install Shortcut iOS
Download App for Android


Step 1: Set Up the Shortcut (One-Time Only)

Before you can download Reels, you need to add a special shortcut created by the community. This requires you to first allow “untrusted” shortcuts. Don’t worry, the term just means it wasn’t made by Apple.

A. Allow Untrusted Shortcuts

  1. Go to your iPhone’s Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Shortcuts.
  3. Toggle on the switch for “Allow Untrusted Shortcuts”.
  4. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap “Allow” and enter your iPhone passcode.

Note: If this option is greyed out, open the Shortcuts app, run any simple shortcut from the “Gallery” tab once, and then come back to this setting.

B. Add the Reel Downloader Shortcut

There are several popular shortcuts for this task. One of the most reliable is called R⤓Download.

  1. On your iPhone, use Safari to search for “R Download shortcut” or a similar term to find a reliable source like RoutineHub or a tech blog.
  2. Once you find the link, tap “Get Shortcut”.
  3. The Shortcuts app will open, showing you a preview of the shortcut’s actions.
  4. Scroll to the very bottom and tap the red button that says “Add Untrusted Shortcut”.

That’s it for the setup! The “R⤓Download” shortcut is now installed and ready to use.

Step 2: Download Any Instagram Reel

Now for the fun part. This is the process you’ll follow every time you want to save a Reel.

  1. Open the Instagram app and find the Reel you want to download.
  2. Tap the Share icon (it looks like a paper airplane).
  3. In the menu that appears at the bottom, tap “Share to…”.(Illustrative image)
  4. This will open your iPhone’s standard share sheet. Scroll down through the list of actions until you find “R⤓Download”. Tap on it.(Illustrative image)
  5. Important: The very first time you run it, the shortcut will ask for a few permissions (e.g., access to instagram.com, access to your Photos). Tap “Allow” on all prompts to let the shortcut work correctly.
  6. Wait a few seconds. The shortcut will process the video in the background.

Once it’s finished, the Reel will be saved to your Photos app, ready to be viewed offline or shared.

A Quick Word on Copyright and Courtesy

This method is incredibly convenient, but remember to be respectful. Only download videos for your own personal use. If you decide to re-share a video on any platform, always give full credit to the original creator by tagging them.

Conclusion

Using the Shortcuts app is the cleanest and most integrated way to save Instagram Reels on your iPhone. After a quick one-time setup, you have a powerful tool at your fingertips, letting you save your favorite content with just two taps—no sketchy apps or ad-filled websites required. Enjoy your collection of offline Reels!

Leave a Comment