How to Download Instagram Reels on iPhone and Android

A complete, no-nonsense guide to saving public Instagram Reels straight to your phone, in original quality, with no app to install.

Public content only. No account, no login.

Before you start

You only need the link to a public Reel. No account, no app, no Instagram login. Pullgrab works directly in your phone's browser: Safari on iPhone, Chrome (or any Chromium browser) on Android.

On iPhone, with Safari

Open Instagram, find the Reel, tap the three dots or the paper-plane icon and choose Copy Link. Open pullgrab.com in Safari, paste the link into the box and tap the download button. iOS asks where to save the file; choose Downloads. You'll find it afterward in the Files app, under Downloads, and from there you can share it into Photos if you want it in your camera roll.

On Android, with Chrome

Same first step: copy the link from Instagram's share menu. Paste it into Pullgrab and tap download. Chrome saves the file to your Downloads folder, and most phones also show it in the Files or Gallery app within a few seconds, depending on the manufacturer.

Why the quality sometimes varies

Pullgrab always requests the best version Instagram makes available for that specific post. It doesn't compress or re-encode anything itself. If a video looks softer than you expected, that's a choice Instagram's own servers made when the Reel was uploaded or shared, not something a downloader can improve on.

If the file downloads but won't open

This happens occasionally and it isn't a sign the download failed. Instagram sometimes serves a video in a more efficient streaming-oriented format instead of the usual one, and a small number of apps, notably some default players, don't know how to open it even though the file is complete and correct. Pullgrab checks for this automatically and retries with a different method when it detects it. If you're ever stuck with a file that won't play, installing VLC (free, available for iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac) almost always solves it, since it supports far more formats than a phone's built-in player.

Is this legal?

Downloading is only for content you own or are authorized to save and reuse. Copyright stays with whoever made it. Private accounts, close-friends stories and anything that requires logging in to view are not supported, on purpose.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install an app?

No. Pullgrab runs in your phone's browser, nothing to install.

Does this work on iPad?

Yes, exactly the same as iPhone: open pullgrab.com in Safari and paste the link.

Can I download a Reel from a private account?

No. Pullgrab only works with public content; private accounts, close-friends stories and anything behind a login are not supported.

Will the downloaded file have a Pullgrab watermark or logo?

No, never. You get the file exactly as Instagram serves it.