Nearly 10 million embark for Meta's Twitter competition app, Threads

July 7, 2023: Meta has debuted its Twitter-such as messaging app Threads, which the company is pitching as Instagram’s “text-based conversation app.”

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, and co-founder, announced the debut of Threads, marking the official departure of the social networking giant’s new text-focused messaging app. Threads mean Meta’s attempt to capture the wave of users who have left Twitter amid the often-unpredictable ownership of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Meta said in a blog position the Threads app is now available without paying on the Apple App Store and Google Play online store in over 100 countries. Threads share Twitter’s visual aesthetic as a text-based social messaging app where users can post short messages that others can like, share, and comment upon, according to screenshots of Threads available on Apple’s App Store.

People will be able to follow the same Threads accounts that they track on Instagram and reply to other public posts in a way akin to how people use Twitter.

The official release comes after Instagram released a pre-order for Threads on the Apple App Store on Monday, which said the app was expected to start on July 6. Many Instagram users were also recently able to obtain invitations to access Threads from within their Instagram accounts.

Although Threads is linked to Instagram, with users able to use their existing Instagram usernames, the messaging service is a separate app that people will require to download.

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” Instagram said in a Threads report on the Apple App Store. “Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things or build a loyal following to share your ideas, opinions, and creativity with the world.”

Meta said in the blog post that people’s feeds on the new messaging app would include “threads” posted by other users that they follow, in addition to recommended range shared by creators whom users may not know.

People will be able to publish Threads posts that are up to 500 characters extended, and while the app is geared toward text, people will also be able to share links, photos, and videos that can be as long as 5 minutes. Instagram users can also share their Threads posts via the app’s story feature and “any other platform you choose,” the blog post said.

Meta said that it developed Threads “with tools to enable positive, productive conversations,” people can manage who is mentioning or replying to them within the app.