Meta’s Instagram team launched Threads on July 5, 2023, and the text-based conversation app, seen as a rival to Twitter, has quickly caught on faster than wildfire. With a record 100 million signups in less than a week of being active, even its creators are surprised at its virality.
Because, in comparison, OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT, which kicked off the AI rush late last year, took two months to reach the 100 million monthly active users milestone. Even Twitter, which has been around for over a decade, only had 259 million daily active users at the end of 2022, and Instagram has 1.39 billion daily active users.
“Threads reached 100 million sign-ups over the weekend,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post five days after launching. “That’s mostly organic demand, and we haven’t even turned on many promotions yet. Can’t believe it’s only been 5 days!”
Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, called the surge of sign-ups on Threads “insane,” and promised the team would “make this thing great.”
And while the burst of sign-ups doesn’t necessarily mean people will use Threads long-term, the milestone is definitely notable. But what is all the fuss about? Is Threads really better than Twitter? And is it true you cannot delete your Threads account without saying bye to your Instagram?
Let’s find out.
What is Threads?
Threads is a platform that allows you to publish short posts or updates that are up to 500 characters. Created by Meta’s Instagram team, you can include links, photos or videos up to five minutes long. The app is linked to your Instagram account, and according to Meta, you can “easily share a Threads post to your Instagram story, or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.”
Your Threads feed will include posts from people and accounts you follow on Instagram or Threads, as well as recommendations for undiscovered content. You can also filter specific words from your feed and restrict who is allowed to mention you.
And while the platform has reportedly been in the works since January, the Threads rollout comes on the heels of Twitter owner Elon Musk announcing limits to how many tweets a user can read on Twitter per day. The limits were temporary, but the damage was apparently permanent as, amidst all the changes to Twitter, social media users started looking for an alternative. Threads provides the option to post text, videos and photos, and the ability to engage in real-time conversations.
An example of how to post on Threads, and how feeds look.
Threads is free to use and is available to download from the App Store (iOS) and the Play Store (Android). And while the app launched in more than 100 countries, its release has been delayed in the European Union, reportedly due to data-sharing concerns between Instagram and Threads.
How To Sign Up For Threads
To join Threads, you must have an Instagram account, as you have to use your Instagram login credentials to sign in.
First, launch the Threads application and select the Instagram profile you want to make a Thread account for. If you have multiple Instagram accounts, you can switch at the login page. Add your name, bio and any links you want to show on your Threads profile.
You can also just hit the Import from Instagram to move that information over from your Instagram profile.
Finally, choose to follow the same accounts you follow on Instagram, on Threads. You can do this one by one, by scrolling through the accounts you follow on Instagram or by searching for an account. You can also just follow every single account you follow on Instagram with a single tap on Follow All.
The last page will give you a bit of info about Threads and its future, like how Threads and Instagram are intrinsically tied and how you’ll soon be able to interact with other social media platforms. Click on Join Threads to begin browsing through your timeline.
A Quick Guide To Using Threads
The Threads user interface is simple to use for now.
You can find everything you need at the bottom of the navigation bar. On the left is Home, which is where your timeline is. Here you can like, leave a comment on, repost and share posts. And in case you see posts from users you don’t follow, don’t be startled – that’s how Threads currently works. Also, Threads posts aren’t in chronological order right now, but Meta is working on that.
There is also Search, where you’ll find recommended profiles and can manually search for other accounts. Next is New Thread, which is where you create posts. You can write up to 500 characters and include links, photos and videos. For now, hashtags aren’t a thing.
In Activity, you’ll see who you recently followed, who recently followed you, replies to your posts, mentions and activity from verified users.
And last, we have Profile, where you can view your Threads profile with your name, profile photo, biography, links, followers, threads and replies. You can also edit your profile and browse through various settings.
Initially, some iPhone users experienced problems when attaching photos, which led to a software update for users of iOS 17 that prevented the app from crashing. Other updates include profile tweaks and a feature that lets you double-tap to search.
Threads Settings
In the profile section, click the globe on the top left or the two-dash icon on the top right to access your settings, where you can configure your notifications, privacy and account. Notifications are straightforward – toggle off push notifications for threads, replies, following and followers. You can also just pause all of them.
You can make your profile private in Privacy, which means only your approved followers can view and interact with your posts and replies. You can also choose who mentions you, mute accounts and hide offensive words and phrases. There are two settings at the bottom, one for blocking profiles and the other for hiding likes. However, note that any changes you make here will affect both Threads and Instagram.
Account is where you can set up reminders to take a break from Threads and deactivate your profile. There are other settings that apply to both Threads and Instagram, including two-factor authentication and password changes.
Threads Controversies and Issues
Of course, you’ve seen the news about lots of users getting upset about Meta’s policy regarding deleting your Threads account. And it’s true, if you want to delete your Threads account, you also have to delete your Instagram account, since they’re linked.Â
However, you do have the option to individually deactivate your Threads account, and this will not affect your Instagram account. Deactivating will not delete your account and data for good, but it will hide your profile, posts and comments from everyone until you decide to come back.
According to the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, Meta is working on a way to allow users to delete their Threads account separately.
Another source of ire from Threads users, apart from the whole can’t-delete-Threads-without-Instagram thing, is that their timeline is a mess. As mentioned earlier, you can see posts from people you don’t follow in your feed. Again, Mosseri posted that chronological feeds options and a following feed will eventually come to Threads.
Features Coming to Threads
According to Mosseri, this current Threads is just the first version. Below are a few of the features and settings mentioned as in the works for Threads:
- Chronological feed
- Following feed
- Delete Threads account without also having to delete Instagram account
- Improved search
- Hashtags
- Graph syncing
- Messaging (maybe)
- Support for ActivityPub, which will allow Threads to be part of the fediverse, a social network of different servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other
- Multi-account options
- Web interface
Threads vs. Twitter
Of course people have been drawing comparison between both apps, which is just an extension of the proposed cage match between Musk and Zuckerberg. However, with Threads’ built-in connection to Instagram, it can make it much easier to gain users within a short period of time.
According to Forrester analyst Mike Proulx, Meta is taking advantage of the current wave of dissatisfaction with Twitter. However, he also noted that the company has had shaky launches of other services, and added that the market is chockfull of Twitter challengers like Bluesky, Mastodon and Hive.
“This only serves to fracture the Twitter alternative-seeking user base,” he said.
Twitter, though, is clearly aware of the challenge from Threads. A lawyer for the social network sent a letter to Zuckerberg threatening legal action over the app, accusing Meta of intentionally stealing “Twitter’s trade secrets.”
