• The app, compatible with both iOS and Android, has an open and practical social network, allowing posts to be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos and videos up to five minutes in length in more than 100 countries.
• In addition, this new app suggests content from undiscovered creators to express their creative space.
Are you on Instagram Threads?
In case you missed it, Instagram today introduced its new app called Threads.
This app built by the Instagram team aims to enable users to share text updates and join public conversations.
Just like on Instagram, with Threads, users can follow and connect with friends and creators who share similar interests.
This includes the people you follow on Instagram and beyond.
The Threads app hit more than 10 million sign-ups globally in its first seven hours after the launch.
The app, compatible with both iOS and Android, has an open and practical social network, allowing posts to be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos and videos up to five minutes in length in more than 100 countries.
In addition, this new app suggests content from undiscovered creators to express their creative space.
One can easily share a Threads post to their Instagram story, or share their post as a link on any other platform of their choice.
To access it, here’s what you need to do;
1. Download the "Threads, an Instagram app" on the Apple Store or Play Store
2. Use your Instagram account info to log in and verify
3. Your Instagram username and verification will carry over with the option to customize your profile specifically for Threads
4. Use the tools to filter the app to your liking
According to the Instagram team, the tools seek to enable positive, productive conversations.
"You can control who can mention you or reply to you within Threads and you can add hidden words to filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words," Instagram said.
"You can also unfollow, block, restrictor report a profile on Threads by tapping the three-dot menu and any accounts you've blocked on Instagram will, automatically be blocked on Threads."
The team has also said that it is working toward making the app compatible with the ActivityPub protocol.
This will enable it to be interoperable with other apps or services like Mastodon, allowing users to expand their reach with no added effort.
Now giving Twitter a run for its money, according to users, this new clone feels like, oh well... like using Twitter.
In an interview with The Verge, Instagram head of product Adam Mosseri said that the company felt that the recent 'unpredictability' at Twitter had created a need for a new platform.
"Obviously, Twitter pioneered the space," he said.
"But just given everything that was going on, we thought the free was an opportunity to build something that was open and something that was good for the community that was already using Instagram."
One user said that there are three reasons why Threads will take over.
"Easy migration from IG users, working short-form video platform (Reels), and IG users who never used Twitter will use Threads," he said.
"It's not because the app is better but it's because Meta's existing platforms and users."
While Threads has a video length of five minutes, Twitter allows two minutes and 20 seconds.
On the other hand, Twitter has the DM feature while there is no such feature on Threads yet.
Equally, on both apps, one can delete whereas no editing is allowed on both.
Although it might be too early to pass judgement on Threads depending on the features it offers compared to its rival, Twitter, the platform is actually quite enjoyable.
But a question still lingers, are we ready to share our information with another new platform, data privacy concerns of course?
Well, get the app and then dear readers, we can pass judgement.