Threads’ rapid growth is starting to taper off, but Meta is pushing ahead with new updates and features. On Thursday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said Threads was adding reposts to the follow feed, saying the move was “based on your feedback.” The app also rolls out a ‘Reposts’ tab on his profile, showing all his reposted threads in one place.
Threads has been rapidly rolling out updates since its release in July. Earlier this month, the platform also introduced a “Your Likes” tab where you can see which posts you liked. This addition puts Threads on par with Twitter, which was renamed X.
Meta head Mark Zuckerberg teased that more updates will roll out to Threads in the coming weeks, including a search feature and a web version of the app. It also recently launched a “Following” tab that allows users to view the threads of people they follow in chronological order. Previously, a user could only view threads on his For You page, and only algorithmically recommended posts.
This latest series of updates comes after the initial spike in Threads signups slowed. Since then, Threads has added about 19 million new users in the past few weeks. However, as one would expect for a new platform in a fairly crowded marketplace, Threads’ daily usage also appears to be declining.
In addition to the repost update, other recent changes to Threads include translated posts, a new way to filter notifications in the (Activity) tab, a follow button, and approve followers if you have a private account. It includes a new way to
If you’re interested in setting up your own Threads account, you’re in luck. Joining Threads is very easy. Simply sign in with your Instagram credentials to maintain your username, followers, and verification status.
The rise in popularity of Threads comes at the same time that more and more users are dissatisfied with Twitter. As owner Elon Musk continues to make controversial changes to the app, including limiting the amount of tweets you can read in a day and changing the iconic blue bird logo, Many users are jumping on Twitter alternatives.
Threads joins a lineup of several Twitter alternatives, including Mastodon and Bluesky. The platform offers options to post texts, videos and photos as well as the ability to participate in real-time conversations.
Read below for more information on how to join a thread and what features are available. Learn more about why you’ll want to wait to join Threads and how Meta uses AI to organize your feed.
What are threads?
Created by Meta’s Instagram team, Threads is a platform for publishing short posts and updates of up to 500 characters. You can include links, photos, or videos up to 5 minutes long. The app is linked to your Instagram account, and Meta says you can “easily share Threads posts to Instagram stories or share posts as links on other platforms of your choice.” .
Your feed includes posts from people and accounts you follow on Instagram or threads, as well as recommendations for undiscovered content. You can also filter specific words from your feed and limit who can mention you.
Threads is free to use and can be downloaded from the App Store (iOS) and Play Store (Android).
The app launched in more than 100 countries on July 5, but was reportedly delayed in the European Union due to concerns about data sharing between Instagram and Threads. Meta has also reportedly blocked attempts by people in the EU to access Threads using a VPN, telling TechCrunch in a statement: “We are currently not allowing people based in the EU to access the EU. We are taking additional measures to prevent this from happening,” he said.
An example of how to post to a thread and what the feed looks like.
How to sign up for threads
You need an Instagram account to participate in Threads, as this service requires you to use your Instagram login credentials to sign in.
First, launch the Threads application and select the Instagram profile for which you want to create a Thread account. If you have multiple Instagram accounts, you can switch between them on the login page.
Then add your name, profile, and the link you want to appear in your thread profile.You can also simply press Import from Instagram Click the button to populate that information from your IG profile.
Finally, choose to follow the same accounts in threads that you follow on Instagram. You can do this one by one by scrolling through the accounts you follow on Instagram or by searching for an account. You can also follow all the accounts you follow on Instagram with just one tap. follow all.
strike switch accounts Create a thread profile using another Instagram account.
The final page provides a bit of information about Threads and its future, including how Threads and Instagram are inherently connected and how they will soon be able to interact with other social media platforms such as Mastadon. Provided.you can hit join the thread Start browsing the timeline.
A quick guide to using threads
At the moment, Threads has a very simple user interface. Everything you need is at the bottom of the navigation bar. Home, Search, New Thread, Activity and profile. There are also settings, but we’ll talk about that a little later. First, let’s see what each button in the navigation bar means.
The first is on the left. House, that’s where your timeline resides. It might be a little surprising to see posts from users you don’t follow, but that’s how threads iterate now. Here you can like posts, leave comments, repost, and share posts. Threads now has a (For You) tab that displays a series of suggested threads, and a (Following) tab. The (Following) tab displays posts from accounts you follow in chronological order.
Then searchHere you can see recommended profiles and manually search for other accounts. The largest existing accounts include Mr. Beast, Jennifer Lopez, the NBA, Marvel, the Kardashian family, and Zuckerberg himself.
next new thread, create a post here. You can enter up to 500 characters and include links, photos and videos. No hashtags needed for now.
in activity, See people you’ve recently followed, people who have recently followed you, replies to your posts, mentions, and activity from authenticated users.
And finally profile, where you can view the profile of the thread. Here you’ll find your name, profile picture, bio, links, followers, threads and replies. You can also edit your profile and see various settings.
When viewed from above, from the left, House, new thread and activity.
A little more about threading settings
Speaking of settings, let’s spend a little more time on what settings can be adjusted in threads. In your profile section, you can press the globe on the top left or the two dashes icon on the top right to access your settings and configure your notifications, privacy, and accounts.
notification is very easy. Toggle off push notifications for threads and replies, follows and followers. You can also pause everything.
in privacyallows you to make your profile private. This means only approved followers can check out and interact with your posts and replies. You can also choose who mentions you, mute your account, and hide offensive words and phrases. Two settings are displayed at the bottom. One is to block profiles and the other is to hide likes. If you configure either of these two settings, the changes apply to both Threads and Instagram.
account Here you can set a reminder to take a thread break and deactivate your profile. There are other settings that apply to both Threads and Instagram, such as two-factor authentication and password change.
If you want to hide likes in threads, you should hide them on Instagram as well.
Are you sure you can’t delete your Threads account?
If you read this news, many of you are probably upset about Meta’s policy regarding the deletion of Threads accounts. Yes, you can delete your Threads account, but you should also delete your Instagram account as it is tied together. If you don’t want to delete Instagram, you have the option to deactivate your Threads account individually.
This won’t permanently delete your account and data, but it will hide your profile, posts, and comments from everyone until you get it back. Here’s how to disable thread accounting:
Even if you deactivate it, you can return to the thread at any time.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri posted that although Threads uses Instagram, the company is looking for a way for users to individually delete their Threads accounts.
What about hashtags? And what about the list?
In a Threads post in July, Mosseri encouraged users to continue sharing their ideas and wishes for the platform. Two of the most commonly mentioned features are hashtags and lists. While users seem to be quite divided on whether or not hashtags should be added, most agree on the value of the Lists feature.
Given the number of mentions, users may see these features added in future updates. Mosseri said the hashtag is “on the list,” but gave no indication of the status of the list feature.
Are there ads in threads?
Mosseri said advertising is not a priority at this time. “I’m so sorry you guys signed up, but before we worry about making money, we need to make sure this is an app that people want to keep using.” The company negotiates with advertisers. It is said that
What features will Threads add?
Mosseri and others post about what features might end up in Threads. According to Mosseri, this current version of his Threads is just the first version. Below are some of the features and settings listed as being in development for Threads.
- Delete your Threads account without deleting your Instagram account.
- Improved search.
- hashtag.
- Graph synchronization.
- Messaging (maybe).
- ActivityPub support (Threads can be part of the Fediverse (“a social network of various servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other”)).
- Multi-account option.
- web interface.
Meta Threads and Twitter
Threads has a built-in connection to Instagram, making it much easier to acquire users in a short period of time. Forrester analyst Mike Proulx said Meta is capitalizing on the current wave of dissatisfaction with Twitter, but noted that the company is nervous about launching other services.
“Meta’s robust testing and learning strategy is to be commended, but the company does not have a successful track record of launching standalone apps outside of its core family,” Proulx said in a statement to CNET, noting that Slingshot and He cited projects such as IGTV.
Proulx added that the market is flooded with Twitter challengers such as Bluesky, Mastodon and Hive. “This will only divide the audience for alternatives to Twitter,” he said.
Twitter clearly recognizes the challenge from Threads. Lawyers for the social network sent Zuckerberg a letter in July threatening legal action over the app, accusing Meta of deliberately stealing “Twitter trade secrets.”
For more information, see CNET’s coverage of social media platforms such as TikTok rules and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook paid authentication systems.