Threads, Meta’s text-based app to challenge Twitter, is now official. Mark Zuckerberg announced the new service one day ahead of the July 6th launch date that appeared in app stores earlier this week. Meta has begun rolling out the new service around the world, though it won’t be available within the European Union until the company addresses potential regulatory concerns.
In a blog post announcing the Twitter rival, the company described Threads as a “separate space for real-time updates and public conversations” that relies on users’ Instagram credentials but will eventually be compatible with a wider swath of decentralized services like Mastodon. For now though, Threads users log into the app and website with their existing Instagram account. The company will “carry over” existing usernames and verification status to Threads, though users have the option to further customize their profiles.
Like on Instagram, the company will rely heavily on recommendations to help people discover new accounts to follow. And Meta has been quietly testing the service with a small group of celebrities and creators, as well as its own employees, so new users won’t be greeted with an empty social network.
The service itself looks remarkably similar to Twitter though its design will feel familiar to Instagram users. It supports text posts up to 500 characters, as well as photos and videos up to five minutes. Threads will also support reposts — its version of a retweet — as well as quote posts. Users can also limit their replies, block and report other users. And posts from Threads can be easily shared to users’ Instagram Story for added visibility.
Engadget
