Meta, the developers behind Facebook and Instagram, have today officially launched Threads, a new app set to directly rival Twitter, which has become increasingly disliked by its users following Elon Musk’s turbulent takeover of the platform last year.
Threads, which is available now from the App Store, focuses on text-based conversations, with users able to like, share and comment on other users posts, directly port over Instagram followers and following lists, and use their existing Instagram username on the app.
Threads has been described as a potential “Twitter killer,” launching at a time when users are revolting against the changes made to the platform since its acquisition, including loosened content moderation, controversial changes to its verification system, a focus on paywalling features such as TweetDeck, and the recent introduction of rate limits, which cap how many tweets users can read.
Users can add their existing Instagram and Facebook followers to Threads after joining the app and linking their account.
Threads is available worldwide today, with the exception of the EU or Ireland, not including the UK, because of GDPR and EU privacy rules.
