Threads: Instagram launches app to rival Twitter

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg says the company’s newly launched Threads app aims to surpass Twitter.

Experts say Threads could attract Twitter users unhappy with recent changes to the platform.

Threads – which has not launched in the European Union at the moment – allows users to post up to 500 characters, and has many features similar to Twitter.

Earlier, he said that keeping the platform “friendly … is ultimately the key to its success”.

But Twitter chief Elon Musk responded: “It’s better to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than to indulge in false happiness on hide-the-sick Instagram.”

When Threads asked if the app would be “bigger than Twitter”, Mr Zuckerberg said: “It will take time, but I think there should be a public conversation app with 1 billion+ people on it .

“Twitter had a chance to do it but didn’t nail it. Hopefully we can do it.”

Competitors have criticized the amount of data the app can use. This may include health, financial, and browsing data linked to users’ identities, according to the Apple App Store.

Threads is now available to download in over 100 countries including the UK, but not yet in the EU due to regulatory concerns.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, called the new app an “initial version”, with additional features planned including the ability to interact with people on other social media apps like Mastodon.

“Our vision for Threads is to take what Instagram does best and extend that to text,” the company said before its launch.

Although Threads is a standalone app, users log in with an Instagram account. Their Instagram username carries, but there is an option to customize their profile specifically for Threads.

Users can also choose to follow the same accounts they created on Instagram, Meta said. The app allows users to be private on Instagram, but public on Threads.

The release of the new app comes after criticism of Meta’s business practices.

Last year, Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen said the company put “profit over safety” and criticized how the platform was moderated.

The company has also been rocked by a scandal in which it allowed third parties, including British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, to access the personal data of Facebook users.

In an apparent reference to this controversial past, Mr Musk joked on Monday that “thank goodness they’re running really well”.

There are many Twitter alternatives available, such as Bluesky and Mastodon, but these have struggled to gain traction.

Threads have a significant advantage because they are connected to Instagram, and hundreds of millions of users are already on the platform.

In Threads, posts can be shared on Instagram and vice versa and can include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long.

However, some early users on Wednesday reported problems uploading images, indicating teething problems.

Users see a feed of posts, which Meta calls “threads”, from people they follow as well as recommended content.

They can control who can “mention” them and filter replies to posts with specific words.

It is also possible to unfollow, block, prevent or report other profiles, and any accounts blocked by Instagram users are automatically blocked by Threads.

While Meta has emphasized its relationship with Instagram, media coverage has focused on its similarities to Twitter, with some investors describing the app as a “Twitter killer”.

This is Mr Musk’s latest push to get users to sign up to Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service.

Twitter also announced that its popular user dashboard TweetDeck will go behind a paywall for 30 days.

Since Mr Musk took over, many Twitter users have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the platform and his stewardship – citing bad behavior and political views.

Last month, Mr Musk and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg agreed – possibly jokingly – to a cage fight, and Mr Zuckerberg’s early posts on Threads mentioned his interest in mixed martial arts.

While Threads is available in the UK, it is not yet available in the EU due to regulatory uncertainty, particularly around the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

But the company says it is looking at launching in the EU.

That act lays out the rules for how big companies like Meta can share data between the platforms they own. Data sharing between Threads and Instagram is part of the issue.

Meta maintains privacy protection is the cornerstone of its business.

Additional reporting by Max Matza and George Bowden