'Instagram Threads' to launch Twitter rival

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is all set to launch an app titled 'Threads' aimed at being an alternative to Twitter.

According to Apple's App Store data in the US, the app is expected to launch on July 6 and will be available for download for users, the New York Times reported.

According to a report by US-based tech portal TechCrunch, 'Threads' will be linked to Instagram and could have a leg up on Twitter, since it directly imports a user's Instagram followers and following lists.

Instead of rebuilding a community from scratch, Threads users will already have their existing Instagram circles there from the get-go, Tech Crunch report said.

The App Store description read, "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."

Though Threads is closely related to Instagram, it will be its own app. We don't know much from the App Store listing, but it appears that users may like, comment on, repost, and share content. The App Store pictures also reveal that you may choose who can comment to your posts: everyone, individuals you follow, or only those named in the post.

The app's goal is to bring together communities to debate various subjects and connect with favourite creators.

Threads, which blends Instagram and Twitter aspects, is likely to draw both existing Instagram users and new people when it launches.

According to TechCrunch, Meta's side projects haven't always been a success. It discontinued apps such as the anonymous teen app tbh, the Cameo-like app Super, the Nextdoor clone Neighbourhoods, the couples app Tuned, the student-focused social network Campus, the video dating service Sparked, and others in recent years. Threads, on the other hand, is launching at the ideal time to capitalise on Twitter's continuous hiccups. Consumers must decide if they want Meta to control yet another aspect of their social media experience.

Twitter has blocked unregistered users from being able to see tweets and implemented rate limits for those who are logged in that could block you after reading hundreds or thousands of posts in a day, as per Verge.

The company is also introducing big modifications to TweetDeck, a tool used by many journalists and social media professionals, just as the app began to malfunction, allegedly due to scrapers scouring the web for data to feed AI models. TweetDeck is set to become a paid feature in roughly a month, Verge reported.