Threads, Meta’s answer to Twitter, is finally live. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is boasting that more than 10 million people have already signed up since the service opened to the public at midnight.
But what is Threads and how do you use it? Here’s what you need to know before signing up to yet another social network.
What is Threads?
Threads is what Meta describes as “Instagram’s text-based conversation app”. While Instagram is all about visuals with captions, with Threads, the main event is text.
If that sounds an awful lot like Twitter, it’s because it is. Just as Instagram incorporated Reels to take on TikTok and disappearing stories to counter Snapchat, Threads is an attempt to eat Elon Musk’s lunch as disillusioned users scramble for Twitter alternatives.
Indeed, in a meeting about Threads before it launched, chief product officer Chris Cox reportedly called it “our response to Twitter”, adding that “we’ve been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run”.
That’s a not-so-subtle jab at Musk’s chaotic leadership of Twitter. The leak of this led to the unedifying spectacle of Musk and Zuckerberg squaring up for an actual, physical fight. No, really.
How can I sign up to Threads?
As mentioned above, you can’t do it on the web: the browser interface is purely to give you a taste (and probably so other websites can embed content eventually, though that doesn’t seem possible right now).
Instead, you have to download the app for iPhone (here) or Android (here).
Once in, if you already have an Instagram account, you’ll be encouraged to simply connect it. Then you can customise your profile, adding a short bio, an external link, and a picture. All of this can be imported from your Instagram account if you just want a quick start.
To make your timeline a bit more active, you’ll then get the chance to follow everyone you know from Instagram on Threads. If they aren’t there already, they’ll show as pending until they show up, at which point they’ll be added automatically.
Finally, you get to decide whether your account is public or private. If you select the latter, you get to choose who can see your posts, just like on Instagram or Twitter.
Once you’re in, see below for how to get started.
How to use Threads
How to post in Threads
To post something, you press the icon in the middle of the navbar at the bottom of the app. Just type away, choose who can respond from the dropdown and tap ‘Post’.
When browsing your timeline, you’ll see four icons underneath each one. The heart likes a post, while the speech bubble opens up a field that’ll let you send a message in reply.
How to share in Threads
The other two icons are for sharing. Two arrows in a circle reposts something to your timeline, the equivalent of retweeting. Once tapped you have the choice between embedding it directly, or quoting it, meaning it’s shared with your commentary.
The arrow/paper aeroplane icon lets you share the post elsewhere. It’s either a direct link or posted to Instagram via a story on your feed.
How to search in Threads
At the time of writing, search seems to be about finding accounts rather than content. Just tap the magnifying glass on the navbar and start typing.
As for finding specific posts, that doesn’t seem to be a thing at the time of writing. We would imagine that trends and hashtags will arrive in time to improve this limited part of the experience.
How is Threads the same as Twitter?
The look and functionality are very similar to the early days of Twitter, only without the old text-message-based restrictions. There is a length limit, but it’s a generous 500 characters.
Otherwise, it’s much the same. You can like people’s posts, reply to them and repost them to your own timeline with or without a commentary, giving it the same instant viral quality that many loved about the Twitter of old.
How does Threads differ to Twitter?
There are a series of little differences. Some of these will be deliberate, but others can probably be chalked up to Threads only just launching. After all, in 2006 Twitter didn’t have @-replies or hashtags.
Most damagingly, there’s currently no way to only see content from people you choose to follow. It’s a blend of those you actually want to hear from and what Meta’s algorithms (often incorrectly) think you’ll like. That’ll be a deal breaker for some, judging from the backlash that Twitter got for its “For You” page, packed with heavilyengaged stuff from paid accounts.
Secondly, you can’t post from the web. You can use the desktop interface to have a nose around without signing in, but if you want to actually say anything, you’ll have to download the app for iOS or Android via the prominent QR codes Meta has put on each page.
Thirdly, certain functionality is missing that Twitter users will take for granted. There are currently no direct messages, with all conversations out in the open. Hashtags aren’t there, and actually finding interesting topics isn’t made easy with the built-in search.
Fourthly, because it’s linked to Instagram, you have to keep the same username you picked there — and, if someone already has your much-loved Twitter handle on Meta’s photo app, then you’re out of luck.
There’s an argument to be made that its link to Instragram makes it less private, as people tend to be more identifiable on Meta’s photo-sharing platform. True, you could start up an anonymous Instagram account to link to Threads, but that’s probably a step too far for most.
Speaking of privacy, Threads is currently free from targeted ads, but it’s pretty safe to assume that won’t last forever, judging from the shopping list of permissions that the iPhone app requires from anyone who downloads the app.
Indeed, the data requirements might explain why Threads is available in the UK, but not across the channel in the EU.
Finally, there are a few features that Twitter paywalls which Meta has decided to give away free of charge. Posts of up to 500 characters are available to all, and you can post up to five minutes of video, too.
