Instagram’s Twitter competitor Threads launches July 6

Instagram will launch a new “text-based conversation app” called Threads this Thursday, July 6 — just as Twitter users once more contemplate a mass exodus in the wake of controversial changes instigated by the social network’s owner, Elon Musk.

The new app from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, appeared on the iOS App Store on Tuesday after an early listing was spotted on the Google Play store earlier in the weekend, according to The Verge. A countdown until 10 am EDT, 6th of July appeared also on threads.net with a direct link to the app store listing.

Threads has a very similar look and feel to Twitter, Bluesky and Mastodon. The screenshots in the App Store listing demonstrate the capability to follow, like and reply users and to control who is allowed to reply to posts. The login appears to be done through Instagram, and users keep the same username.

“Say more with Threads — Instagram’s text-based conversation app,” reads the app description. “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.”

Meta’s Twitter competitor has magically appeared just as controversial rule changes at Twitter have once again alienated a large swathe of users. In the past few days, Twitter has required login to view posts, rate-limited how many posts users who don’t subscribe to its Twitter Blue service can view per day, and said it will make the TweetDeck dashboard interface exclusive to Twitter Blue.

Bluesky had to temporarily suspend new user registration while it was in beta to deal with the surge. Threads could be an even bigger beneficiary of the turmoil at Twitter, coming as it does from the world’s biggest social media company, and piggybacking on Instagram’s gigantic user base. Most users won’t even need to create a new account to use it.

Privacy is a concern, just as it always has been with Meta-platforms. App store page notes that (and called out by former Twitter boss Jack DorseyThe following are some examples of how to get started: current boss MuskThreads, a mobile app, may gather data about your health and finances as well as other personal details and then link them to your identity. Instagram does this, but Twitter doesn’t go so far, while Bluesky and Mastodon collect little or no data via their apps. The ease of signup and use may be what makes many Twitter users decide to leave.