Threads, the Twitter competitor created by Meta, has finally arrived.
Now you can access the new platform from its desktop site at Threads.net or by downloading the app for iOS and Android.
On Threads, you can create text-based posts with up to 500 characters, as well as share photos and videos up to five minutes long. The app looks relatively similar to Twitter, featuring a minimal interface with the options to like, comment, repost, and share threads. Since Threads is closely tied to Instagram, you can log in with your Instagram username and easily follow all the same people you follow on the other platform.
Meta is extending some of Instagram’s privacy controls to Threads as well, such as the ability to filter out certain words in replies. You can also limit who can reply to your threads to everyone on the platform, people you follow, or only the users who you mentioned in your post.
“We believe this decentralized approach, similar to the protocols governing email and the web itself, will play an important role in the future of online platforms,” Meta says. “Threads is Meta’s first app envisioned to be compatible with an open social networking protocol — we hope that by joining this fast-growing ecosystem of interoperable services, Threads will help people find their community, no matter what app they use.”
The launch of Threads comes as Twitter imposes more restrictions on users, including a temporary rate limit barring unverified users from viewing more than 600 posts per day (or 300 posts for “new unverified” accounts). Twitter also blocked logged-out users from viewing tweets on the platform before quietly reversing the change and creating a new version of TweetDeck that requires a verified subscription.
Meta is launching Threads in over 100 countries, including the US, but it won’t be available in the European Union to start.
“We’re still working on some of the things that we need to do to make sure that Threads is a great experience for people in Europe,” he said. “We’re committed to launching there, but we just need to make sure that we’re doing it right.”
Threads is a new and interesting app that offers a different way to connect with friends and family. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a more intimate and personal way to communicate.
