Threads has attracted over 5 million registered users within four hours of being launched on the App Store. Currently, it closely resembles Twitter and does not yet have the functionality to send direct messages or tag topics. There are no paid advertisements, but many brands have already joined.
Twitter has a new competitor as Meta Platforms Platforms Platforms Platforms launched its social media app, Instagram Threads, on the App Store. In less than a day, it has already attracted tens of millions of users.
On Thursday morning, July 6th, Eastern Time, Meta Platforms Platforms Platforms Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Threads that the app had already surpassed 30 million registered users. Some users commented on Zuckerberg's post, speculating that it could reach 100 million registered users by the next day.
It is worth noting that Zuckerberg's post was made only 16 hours after Threads was officially launched. Zuckerberg himself already has 1 million followers on Threads. Nine hours ago, he revealed that the app had surpassed 10 million registered users within seven hours. Prior to that, he had posted that Threads had over 5 million registered users within four hours of its launch.
Media reports have found that Threads was the most downloaded free app on the Apple App Store on Thursday morning.
When Meta Platforms Platforms Platforms Platforms released Threads on Wednesday, they referred to it as an "text-based conversation app" for Instagram. Starting from that day, users can download it for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play in over 100 countries.
After Threads was launched, users quickly realized that it is essentially a replica of Twitter. Currently, its users mainly post text-based messages, with each post limited to 500 characters. Users can mention specific users by using the "@" symbol before their username, and they can choose to make their posts visible only to followers or those mentioned with the "@" symbol. Additionally, users can also attach photos or videos to their posts.
However, since Threads shares data with Instagram, users can directly log in using their Instagram accounts. Their profile information and external account links can also be imported with just one click from Instagram. By default, all recommended friends on Threads come from the user's Instagram friends list. Meta Platforms hopes that Threads will be part of the Fediverse network in the future. As long as users have a Threads account, they can interact with users from other decentralized social platforms. For example, Threads users can have conversations with Facebook users without needing to register for a Facebook account and can follow their Facebook friends.
Currently, Threads does not have the functionality to join the Fediverse universe or a desktop version. Additionally, it lacks some features that mainstream social media platforms have.
Compared to sister apps like Twitter and Facebook, Threads does not have a direct messaging feature. Threads also does not have one of Twitter's core features, which is tagging topics. Currently, users cannot search for specific text or phrases within Threads.
Threads does not have paid advertisements yet, but many brands have already joined the platform. Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, which oversees Threads, revealed that if Threads expands, advertisements will not be an issue.
Of course, Threads will not stop here; it is just the beginning. In a post announcing 30 million registered users, Mark Zuckerberg pointed out that it feels like the start of something special, but we still have a lot of work to do to build this app.