Back in March, rumors arrived that Instagram was working on an app to rival Twitter. That app was later revealed to be their upcoming platform Threads. Meta’s chief product officer Chris Cox called the app “our response to Twitter,” and said that Instagram’s account system will be used to automatically populate users’ information. At the time of this news, a release date for Threads had not been revealed yet, but with social media users growing increasingly upset with Twitter’s growing issues under Elon Musk’s leadership, many have been looking for a new platform.
What Is Threads?
Meta’s official description of the app can be found below:
Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things—or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions, and creativity with the world.
Where a post on Twitter is called a tweet, a post on Threads will be called a thread. It presents an interface that’s similar to Twitter and it can be downloaded in the Apple App Store for iPhone here. It’s expected to be available in the Google Play Store when it’s released, but there is not a listing for it at the moment.
In June, The Verge reported on a Meta meeting that officially revealed Threads. “We’ve been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution,” Cox said. He added that Meta’s goals with the app are “safety, ease of use, reliability” and ensuring that creators have a “stable place to build and grow their audiences.”
When Does Threads Come Out?
Threads was originally expected to be released on July 6 at 10am EST, but that launch time was moved up to July 5th at 7pm EST. As mentioned, the app is expected to appear in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, however, it is not expected to be available in the European Union. Earlier today, Meta reportedly delayed the launch in the European Union due to the region’s privacy regulations.