Instagram Threads: Everything you need to know about Meta's Twitter rival

At a time when Twitter is undergoing big changes under Elon Musk, Meta launched Threads in 100 countries on Thursday as Twitter rival. Here is all you need to know about the app

Tech giant Meta on Thursday released its standalone Twitter rival, Threads app. Based on Instagram's account system, the app allows users to share text updates, post links, reply or report messages, and join public conversations.

In an official statement, Meta said, "Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas."

Like Instagram, users can follow and connect with friends and creators, including the people they follow on Instagram. Threads was launched in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android users.

The app comes at a time when Elon Musk's Twitter is struggling to make good revenues. Last month, media reports stated that Twitter's US advertising revenue in April plunged 59 per cent from a year earlier, despite Musk's claims that its business was "upswing".

Musk also said that he hired Linda Yaccarino, a NBCUniversal executive, as chief executive officer of Twitter to try to "improve relationships with brands".

In recent days, Twitter has limited the number of tweets a user can access. In the coming days, the Twitter newsdeck will also be accessible only to those who pay for Twitter Blue.

Meta's Thread is being seen as a direct competition to Twitter and will compete for user attention from news publishers, politicians and other high-profile individuals.

Threads: Key features

• The user's feed on Threads will include threads posted by people they follow and some recommended content.
• Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length.
• A Threads post can be shared on one's Instagram story.
• The post can also be shared as a link on any other platform.
• The users can control who can mention them or reply within Threads.
• Like on Instagram, users can add hidden words to filter out replies to the threads.
• They can unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile on Threads.
• Any accounts blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads.

Threads: How to download

The app is available for download for iOS users on Apple's App Store and for Android users on Google Play Store.

Threads: How to use Meta's new app

1. Download the app on your mobile phone
2. Use your Instagram account to log in
3. The Instagram username and verification will carry over, with an option to customize the profile
4. Everyone who is under 16 (or under 18 in certain countries) will be defaulted into a private profile when they join Threads
5. You can now choose to follow the same accounts you do on Instagram and find more people
6. You can upload a text message, a thread or an image on the platform
7. Accessibility features available on Instagram like screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions, are also enabled on Threads.

More to come?

Meta also announced that in the coming days, the company is looking to make Thread compatible with the ActivityPub protocol.

This would make Threads interoperable with other apps that also support the ActivityPub protocol, such as Mastodon and WordPress.

"In addition to working toward making Threads compatible with the ActivityPub protocol, soon we’ll be adding a number of new features to help you continue to discover threads and creators you’re interested in, including improved recommendations in feed and a more robust search function that makes it easier to follow topics and trends in real-time," the Menlo Park-based company said.