Instagram Threads: All About the New App

Do you suddenly hear the word “threads” everywhere you go? That might be because everyone is buzzing about Twitter’s first real competitor. The Instagram Threads app launched at the beginning of July 2023 and has already seen over 100 million users sign up.

Instagram released a statement about the app to confirm that its vision for Threads is to expand the best of what its current platform offers and extend it to text.

But what exactly is Threads, and how do you start threading?

What Is Threads?

Threads is Instagram’s answer to Twitter. Both apps offer users a platform to converse with friends and customers. Threads offers 500 characters per thread, and you can add links, photos, and videos to your conversations.

The company has released a so-called Threads dictionary to make it easier for Instagram users to start chatting on the new app.

The main points include the following:

• Each conversation is called a thread.
• A post is an element on its own within a thread.
• A shared thread is not a re-thread but a repost.
• When someone else’s post is shared, it is called a quote thread.

Note that Instagram released an app called Threads in 2019, which was a photo-first messaging app. The newly released product of the same name has entirely replaced the 2019 version.

How to Set Up an Instagram Threads Account

If you want to get in on the hype of Instagram Threads, download the app from Google Play or the Apple Store. It is a free application with no apparent plans of becoming a paid app.

When you open the app, click on your username at the bottom of the screen. Your username will appear because Threads is linked automatically to your Instagram account. You can connect an individual Threads account to each of your Instagram business accounts if you have more than one.

You can then fill out your Threads profile or import your Instagram bio and choose whether you want your account to be public or private. You can also import the accounts you follow on Instagram if you wish to converse with them on Threads.

After you’ve done these steps, you must agree to the app’s terms of use. These terms include saying yes to personalized ads and other experiences based on your Threads and Instagram activity. It also states that future versions of the Threads app will work with something called the fediverse - an entirely new social media network in the same vein as Mastodon. Before using the app, you must also agree to the Meta Privacy Policy and the Threads Supplemental Privacy Policy.

Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri stated that the company plans to integrate threads with ActivityPub to make it compatible with apps like WordPress and Mastodon.

How to Start a Conversation

After setting up your account, you can start your first conversation by tapping the New Thread button at the bottom of the screen. You can invite friends or colleagues to join your thread by tapping the Invite button. Once others join your thread, you can start chatting by typing your message and hitting the Post button.

You can also tag users with the @ symbol. You can limit replies to your threads by clicking on Anyone can reply, Profiles you follow can reply, or Profiles you mention can reply. If you don’t want to change this setting, leave it on default.

If you want to delete a thread, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the post screen and tap Delete.

Should you decide that Instagram Threads is not an app you want to continue using, you can click on Settings, Account, and Deactivate Profile. Doing this will only delete your Threads account and not your existing Instagram account. There is some debate about this, but current information states the Instagram account remains intact after Threads is deleted.

Things To Know

• Threads offers nearly double the character count of Twitter, making it easier to provide more information per thread. This feature is helpful for businesses starting on the platform.

• Instagram also used some of its well-known icons to make Threads easy to use. These icons include the repost button, quote bubble, heart (to like posts), and a paper airplane for sharing.

• It is easy to cross-post between Instagram and Threads by clicking the airplane icon and selecting Add to story.

• Instagram has also confirmed that users with blue checkmarks of verification will automatically be verified when they sign up for Threads.

• Because Threads is still very new, it doesn’t have any ads. This will change in the near future, which means businesses will have the opportunity to market their products by purchasing ads.

• Threads has a search tool for finding other users but does not currently have hashtags to help search for specific threads or topics.

Is Threads Available Everywhere?

Currently, Threads is available in over 100 countries. However, users in the European Union cannot download the app because of data privacy concerns. While the EU may permit people to use Threads at some point, a specific date has yet to be confirmed.

In countries where people already use Threads, users must be at least 13 years old. Depending on the country, users under 16 or 18 will automatically receive a private account.

Is Threads Better Than Twitter?

Choosing between Twitter and Threads is a matter of preference. If you want to post an unrestricted number of conversations, you can do that on Threads since Twitter imposes a daily limit of 500 posts for new and unverified accounts.

Twitter limits videos to two minutes and 20 seconds, while Threads allows videos of up to five minutes long. Twitter incorporates hashtags for searches, while Threads currently does not.

Conclusion

Instagram’s Threads app is the next big thing in social media. More than 100 million people have already started using it, laying the foundation for what is sure to be a massive user base. And for the first time, Twitter has something to be worried about.