According to an App Store listing, Instagram’s highly anticipated competitor to Twitter, called Threads, is set to launch on Thursday. The app will offer text-based posts that can be liked, commented on, and shared, similar to Twitter. Screenshots on the App Store listing demonstrate the functionality, including the ability to follow Instagram accounts and retain the same username. Meta Platforms Inc., the owner of Instagram, declined to provide further comments.
By launching Threads, Meta aims to capitalize on the issues Twitter has faced since being taken over by Elon Musk last year. Users have expressed frustration with Twitter’s relaxed content moderation policies, the requirement of a monthly subscription fee for authentication, and reliability problems. Twitter has even limited the number of posts users can see. While existing rivals like Mastodon and Bluesky are still in their early stages and haven’t developed into viable alternatives, Instagram has been promoting its forthcoming app for months, partnering with celebrities and influencers to generate anticipation.
The App Store listing indicates that Threads is available for pre-order and is expected to be released on Thursday. It describes Threads as a platform where communities gather to discuss topics of interest, from current affairs to upcoming trends.
Meta has a track record of emulating ideas from competitors, although not all attempts have been successful. However, when Meta’s copycat products do succeed, they tend to gain popularity rapidly. The “stories” feature, which involves posts disappearing after 24 hours, was copied from Snapchat in 2016. Now, more people use this format on Meta’s apps than on Snapchat. Meta has also recently introduced “reels,” a short-video product similar to TikTok, which has contributed to growth on both Instagram and Facebook, according to company executives in earnings calls.
In April, Meta reported that over 3 billion people daily used at least one of its apps—Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp—in the first quarter of the year.