Meta has lifted the lid on its new ‘text-based conversation’ app Threads and it looks rather a lot like Twitter — by design.
Threads – which is an extension of the Instagram app – lets users share text posts up to 500 characters in length, as well as links, photos and five-minute videos.
Its release – which was scheduled for later this year – is believed to have expedited to capitalize on the chaos at Twitter HQ, where new CEO Elon Musk has been heavily criticized for changing beloved features.
Anyone who already has an Instagram account will be given a Threads account with the same username, although they have to download the Threads app.
Meta rolled out Threads on Thursday in more than 100 countries for both iOS and Android, including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia.
Big-name celebrities who have already used Threads as part of Meta’s promotional efforts include chef Gordon Ramsay, pop star Shakira and F1 driver Lando Norris.
‘Say more’: The ‘text-based conversation app’ from Meta looks rather a lot like Twitter, from the text feed to the profile picture and the blue verification tick
Gordon Ramsay, Shakira and Lando Norris are just a few celebrities who have already posted on Threads
Threads is free, although to get a blue tick next of your name you’ll have to be subscribed to Meta Verified, the £10 per month subscription service.
Instagram – which was bought by Meta back in 2012 for around $1 billion – has long been a place for users to share photos with a short caption.
READ MORE: Celebs help Threads promo push
F1 driver Lando Norris was among those who got early access to Threads
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But in comparison, Threads – which was built by Instagram engineers – is for sharing text updates and joining public conversations.
It lets people follow whoever they want and see their posts on a feed, which will also show recommended content from ‘new creators we haven’t discovered yet’ – in other words, people we don’t follow.
Users can also visit someone’s profile page, which is structured very similar to Twitter and other similar social apps such as Hive and Truth Social.
On a user’s profile there are three separate tabs that show ‘threads’, ‘replies’ and ‘reposts’ (the equivalent of retweets).
Users can also add a profile photo and a short bio about themselves to appear under their name and username – again, just like Twitter.
Instagram and Threads are so closely linked that if users change their username on Instagram, that will be reflected on Threads.
What’s more, anyone who wants to use Threads needs to have an Instagram account – so there’s no Threads without Instagram.
Meta says its vision for Threads is ‘to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text’, giving a creative space ‘to express your ideas’.
Threads is now available to download from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for users in more than 100 countries including the UK
After downloading the Threads app, users log in with their Instagram username. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes in length
Threads is a new app from Meta, the multi-billion company run by Mark Zuckerberg (pictured)
‘Just like on Instagram, with Threads you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests – including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond,’ it says.
‘Whether you’re a creator or a casual poster, Threads offers a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.’
READ MORE: Instagram hack lets you download Threads
Type in ‘threads’ or ‘thread’ into the Instagram search bar and you will see a small ticket icon saying ‘admit one’
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Features that are available on Instagram already, such as AI-generated image descriptions, are also enabled on Threads.
Instagram staff have also built-in similar security protections, such as the ability to filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words.
Users can unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile on Threads by tapping the three dots next to a particular thread.
Any accounts users have blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads too.
In the UK, everyone who is under 18 will automatically get a private profile when they join Threads.
Threads could prove a masterstroke from Meta because it will let users bypass a lot of the effort typically involved in signing up to a new app.
This is because anyone who already has an Instagram account will be given a Threads account with the same username.
Instagram already has more than two billion active users worldwide who have already handed over their details for the Instagram sign-up process.
The new app lets users filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words, as well as block other people from mentioning you
Rival Twitter, in comparison, which is owned by Elon Musk, has just under 400 million active users, according to analytics firm Demand Sage.
It’s possible Meta has timed the release of Threads to capitalise on recent anger directed at Twitter, which has been putting more and more features behind a paywall.
Musk revealed at the weekend that users who aren’t subscribed to its £11 per month subscription service Twitter Blue are limited to reading 600 tweets per day – although he later said this would soon increase to 800.
It sparked the trending hashtag #RIPTwitter and caused ‘delete Twitter’ searches on Google to skyrocket 983 per cent in the UK, according to comparison service CasinoAlpha.
Twitter dropped another bombshell this week when it revealed TweetDeck will only be available to people paying for Twitter Blue in less than a month’s time.
TweetDeck – a desktop application that displays tweets in columns – was acquired by Twitter for $40 million in 2011 after operating as its own independent application.
Threads release comes amid talks of ‘cage fight’ between Mark Zuckerberg and rival Elon Musk
Threads has been nicknamed the ‘Twitter killer’ online amid animosity between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
The rival billionaires may be about to engage in a ‘cage fight’ to settle the long-running feud that has mostly played out online.
It all started near the end of June when Musk was commenting about Meta’s plans to release Threads.
Musk said of Threads: ‘I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options.’
Musk was then told that the Meta CEO practices jiu jitsu, to which he replied: ‘I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.’
The Twitter boss later tweeted: ‘If this is for real, I will do it.’
Zuckerberg replied by posting a screenshot of Musk’s tweet to his Instagram story with the caption: ‘Send me location.’
Mark Zuckerberg seemed to agree to the cage fight, simply posting the words ‘send me location’ on his Instagram story
The Colosseum in Rome has been offered as a potential venue for the fight by the Italian Minister of Culture, according to reports.
Zuckerberg’s company seemed to take a dig at Twitter by saying Threads will be ‘sanely-run’.
Musk has urged Twitter users to delete their Facebook accounts, calling the social network ‘lame’ in the past.
