Meta Introduces Twitter Rival App ‘Threads’

To enable “positive, productive conversations,” tech giant Meta has officially launched a new product that would rival microblogging app Twitter.

Called “Threads,” the new app is built by the company’s Instagram team, aiming to offer its users a separate space for real-time exchange through text. Its users can log in by using their Instagram credentials and will be provided with the option to customise their profile for Threads.

Like Twitter, the app’s users can see threads from other users they follow as well as recommended content from other creators and reply to these. Each post in the app is limited to 500 characters and can include photos, links, and videos of up to five minutes, and can be shared to a users’ Instagram story or as a link to any other platform.

The app likewise allows its users to control who can see their threads, who can mention them, and who can reply to their posts, as well as block, unfollow, or restrict a particular profile. They will also be able to filter certain words that they don’t want to see on their feeds.

Threads also has a feature that puts users under 16 (under 18 in some countries) by default to a private profile. Instagram’s accessibility features like AI-generated image descriptions and screen reader support are also enabled in Threads.

Meta also announced in a press release that they are working on making the app compatible with open and interoperable social networking platforms and crafting more features to improve its functions.

“In addition to working toward making Threads compatible with the ActivityPub protocol, soon we’ll be adding a number of new features to help you continue to discover threads and creators you’re interested in, including improved recommendations in feed and a more robust search function that makes it easier to follow topics and trends in real time,” said Meta.

Threads is now live in over 100 countries worldwide for both iOS and Android and can now be downloaded via the Apple App Store and Google Play.