Meta to Launch Threads App on July 6 as Twitter Restricts Access to Users

Threads will be integrated with Instagram and allow users to follow the accounts they follow on the photo-sharing platform and keep the same username.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 4 July 2023 08:21 IST
Highlights
  • Threads is a text-based conversation app
  • Twitter-like platforms saw a surge in users and activity
  • Threads will allow users to follow the accounts they follow on Instagram
Meta to Launch Threads App on July 6 as Twitter Restricts Access to Users

Threads launch comes after Twitter announced a slate of restrictions on the app

Photo Credit: Apple App Store

Meta Platforms plans to launch a Twitter-rivalling microblogging app called Threads, days after Twitter boss Elon Musk attracted criticism by announcing a temporary cap on how many posts users can read on the social media site.

Threads is expected to be released on Thursday and will allow users to retain followers from photo-sharing platform Instagram, and keep the same username, a listing on Apple's App Store showed.

The rollout represents a direct challenge to Twitter, which has faced numerous controversies since Musk bought the company for $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,61,000 crore) in 2022.

Last week, the Tesla billionaire announced a slate of new restrictions on the app, limiting the number of tweets users could view per day, prompting outcry from many on the platform.

Advertisement

While alternative microblogging sites - such as Mastodon and Blue Sky - have seen an uptick in user numbers since Musk's acquisition, neither has been able to challenge Twitter.

But Instagram already has hundreds of millions of registered users and has a history of introducing new features based on the success of other social media firms.

Advertisement

In 2016, it added a feature called "stories" to Instagram, or user posts that disappear after a fixed amount of time, in response to the rising popularity of Snapchat.

More recently, the company's short-form video feature "Reels" has sought to challenge the rise of TikTok.

Advertisement

The launch of Threads represents a credible threat to Twitter under Musk, whose attempts to boost revenues and reshape the platform his own image have faced severe criticism.

After acquiring the company late last year, he laid off around 80 percent of staff and reinstated a number of banned accounts, such as those of former U.S. President Donald Trump and conservative satirical news site Babylon Bee.

Hundreds of advertisers, concerned by a perceived rise in harmful content on the platform, paused spending with Twitter, and internal documents seen by Reuters showed the platform's most active users becoming disengaged.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on a similar launch on the Google Play Store. Reuters approached Twitter for comment.

© Thomson Reuters 2023


From the Nothing Phone 2 to the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, several new smartphones are expected to make their debeut in July. We discuss all of the most exciting smartphones coming this month and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Meta Platforms, Instagram, Threads, Twitter
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Best Gaming Phones Under Rs 30,000: Check List
  1. Infinix Hot 60i Launched With MediaTek Helio G81 Ultimate SoC, 50-Megapixel Rear Camera
  2. OpenAI Said to Turn to Google's AI Chips to Power ChatGPT and Other Products
  3. Samsung Tipped to Unveil Tri-Fold Smartphone With Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7; Launch Timeline Leaked
  4. iPhone 17 to Feature Slightly Larger Display Than iPhone 16, Tipster Claims
  5. Microsoft's Next-Gen AI Chip Production Reportedly Delayed to 2026
  6. Dead NASA Satellite Relay 2 May Have Caused Mysterious 2024 Radio Burst
  7. James Webb Telescope Captures First Direct Image of Saturn-Mass Exoplanet
  8. James Webb Telescope Detects Methanol and Ethanol Near Young Stars, Hinting at Life’s Origins
  9. Rubin Observatory Captures Distant Nebulae From Chilean Mountaintop
  10. Apple to Expand Swift Language Support to Android; Sets Up Android Working Group
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.