Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus, launched its Twitter clone on Wednesday, June 5, 2023, after a ton of hype. A lot of that hype was manufactured by Twitter owner, Elon Musk, as he continues to tear apart the site. The latest straw in favor of Threads was actually limiting how many tweets people could read in a day.
That got a lot of people interested in alternatives. If you take a look at this image from Google Trends, you’ll see a huge spike for alternatives like Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads.
This forced Meta to push up their launch of Threads, and it officially launched on July 5. It’s pretty bare-bones right now, but that will change over time. In the first 30 hours, Thread had over 55 million users sign up, which is pretty incredible compared to Twitter’s 450 million users, which took nearly 15 years to sign up.
In this article, we’re going to share with you everything that you need to know about Threads and why it’s tied to Instagram.
What is Threads?
Threads is a new micro-blogging app set to rival Twitter. This has been a popular thing on the internet ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter back in October of 2022. However, if there’s a company that can dethrone Twitter, it’s likely Meta.
With Threads, users are able to post messages that are up to 500 characters long. You can include text, pictures, GIFs, emojis, and more. However, there are some workarounds for these. Like having to copy/paste a GIF from another app to get it to work. You can also post videos up to 5 minutes long, and it even supports 4K resolution.
Meta allows users to keep their Threads account public or private if they wish, even if their Instagram account is the opposite.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, stated that “the vision for Threads is to create an option and friendly public space for conversation. We hope to take what Instagram does best and create a new experience around text, ideas, and discussing what’s on your mind.”
Why is Threads tied to Instagram?
Threads is tied very closely to Instagram, and it’s not hard to see why. Facebook has kind of been tainted over the years, especially after the past few presidential elections, which has kept the younger generation from using Facebook. But for Instagram, it’s the opposite. The younger generation prefers Instagram, so tying Threads to Instagram was the perfect way to go.
By tying it to Instagram, Meta made it super easy to sign up for Threads. And it’s also super easy to gain thousands of followers right off the bat. You can follow everyone you follow on Instagram on Threads now.
However, there are also some downsides to it being tied to Instagram. For example, you can’t change your handle on Threads, which is the same handle as Instagram. You also can’t delete your Threads account (you can deactivate it, though) without deleting your Instagram account.
How do you sign up for Threads?
Because Meta made Threads so closely tied to Instagram, signing up for Threads is a breeze. Firstly, you’ll need to download the app (App Store and on Google Play).
Next, open the app. You should see your Instagram account there. Tap on the button that says “Login with Instagram [account name].”
Next, you’re going to create your profile. It will automatically bring over your name and username, but you can opt for a different bio and link. Or you can tap on the “Import from Instagram” button to bring that over as well.
Threads will now ask you if you want your profile to be public or private. Similar to how it works on Instagram.
The final step is going to be deciding if you want to follow everyone you follow on Instagram. You can pick and choose who you want to follow, or just mass-follow everyone.
The final step is telling you more about Threads and the Federverse. Remember, Threads does use the ActivityPub protocol, a lot like Mastodon does. So this will allow you to take your profile to other services if need be. Just click “Join Thread,” and in a few seconds, you’ll be on board.
Where is Threads available?
Meta has launched Threads in over 100 countries, and it’s available in over 30 languages on both iOS and Android.
The major caveat here is that it is not available in the European Union right now due to the privacy issues it poses. That will likely change. It’s also available in China for now, but that will likely change as every other US-based app has been banned in the country.
Are there ads?
Surprisingly, Threads is ad-free, at least for now. Both Mosseri and Zuckerberg have stated that ads aren’t the priority right now. Zuck went on to talk about how they want to build out this platform and get it to a billion users before they put ads onto the platform. So this could be ad-free for quite some time. Though at the rate that Threads is growing, that really might only be a couple of months away.
However, this being ad-free has made the service a lot nicer to use, as well as much better on battery compared to Facebook and Instagram.
Are there Trending Topics?
Surprisingly, a feature that was not available at launch for Threads, is Trending Topics. But this feature was added in March of 2024. It’s not the usual Trending Topics page you’d find on alternatives like Bluesky or Twitter. Instead, you will see a number of things that are “Trending Now” which will include a topic, as well as a short snippet about that topic, and the top Thread for that Topic.
Meta says “Trending Topics are based on what people are engaging with right now. Content Specialists review topics to ensure they meet our guidelines”. This is technically in beta still, so we could see changes made to it in the future.
What data is Threads collecting?
When Threads was first showing up on the App Store and Play Store, there was a lot of talk about what data this app was collecting. And it seems like it’s collecting everything. Here’s what the listing looks like on the App Store for the data it’s collecting:
The data looks pretty similar on the Android side. Threads is literally collecting everything here. And the permissions look the same on other Meta apps, too, like Facebook and Instagram. So it really shouldn’t be a big surprise.
Can I be verified on Threads?
Yes! You can be verified through Meta Verified. It will carry over from your Instagram account to Threads. Keep in mind that Meta Verified does cost $14.99 per month, so it is more expensive than Twitter Blue, and doesn’t offer as many features, honestly.
What features are missing from Threads?
As mentioned before, there are quite a few features missing from Threads right now. It’s still a pretty bare-bones product, but that will change over time. As Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri has repeatedly stated on Threads that many things have been added to the list of things to add. That includes a web-based app that you can use on a desktop. We also need a following feed instead of the jumbled mess that we currently have.
No Direct Messaging
While Threads has added a good amount of features since it’s launch, one major feature that is still missing is direct messaging. This means that everything posted on Threads is public since you can’t send anything directly to a follower.
No Polls
This is a feature that is likely coming very soon since Instagram is testing polls in comments – despite already having it in Stories and messages, it’s likely that it will also come to Threads in the very near future.
Update: In October 2023, Meta added Polls to Threads. You can post polls in Threads as well as in comments. Much like Twitter, you cannot change your vote in polls after tapping on that option.
No lists for followers
Another highly requested feature on Threads has been the ability to make lists. This would allow a user to make lists for different subjects, to follow people who break the news or people who post about a specific topic. This is also on the long list of features that Threads is adding in the future.
