Threads: Instagram owner launches Twitter-like app

Meta main Mark Zuckerberg has said that the company's newly-launched Threads app aims to outrival Twitter.

Experts accidental Threads could pull Twitter users unhappy with caller changes to the platform.

Threads - which is not launching successful the European Union for present - allows users to station up to 500 characters, and has galore features akin to Twitter.

In a post, Mr Zuckerberg said that keeping the level "friendly... volition yet beryllium the cardinal to its success".

Asked connected Threads whether the app volition beryllium "bigger than Twitter", Mr Zuckerberg said: "It'll instrumentality immoderate time, but I deliberation determination should beryllium a nationalist conversations app with 1 billion+ radical connected it.

"Twitter has had the accidental to bash this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will."

But rivals person criticised the magnitude of information the app mightiness use, which whitethorn see health, financial, and browsing information linked to users' identities, according to the Apple App Store.

Threads is present disposable to download successful implicit 100 countries including the UK, but not yet successful the EU due to the fact that of regulatory concerns.

Instagram-owner Meta calls the caller app an "initial version", with other features planned including the quality to interact with radical connected immoderate different societal media apps similar Mastodon.

"Our imaginativeness with Threads is to instrumentality what Instagram does champion and grow that to text," the steadfast says.

Despite Threads being a standalone app, users volition log successful utilizing an Instagram account. Their Instagram username volition transportation over, but determination is an enactment to customize their illustration specifically for Threads.

Users volition besides beryllium capable to take to travel the aforesaid accounts they bash connected Instagram, Meta says.

However, it is not yet wide whether disaffected Twitter users volition privation to determination implicit to the Meta-run platform.

Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen said past twelvemonth that the institution had enactment "profits implicit safety" and criticised however the level was moderated.

The institution was besides rocked by a ungraded successful which it allowed 3rd parties, including the British governmental consultancy Cambridge Analytica, to entree Facebook users' idiosyncratic data.

In an evident notation to this arguable past, Twitter proprietor Elon Musk joked connected Monday "thank goodness they're truthful sanely run".

There are respective different Twitter alternatives available, specified arsenic Bluesky and Mastodon.

However, Threads has a important vantage due to the fact that it is connected to Instagram, and the hundreds of millions of users already connected that platform.

On Threads, we are told that posts tin "easily" beryllium shared betwixt the 2 apps and tin see links, photos, and videos of up to 5 minutes successful length.

Users volition person a provender of posts, which Meta calls "threads", from radical they travel and recommended content.

They volition beryllium capable to power who tin "mention" them and filter retired replies to posts that incorporate circumstantial words.

Unfollowing, blocking, restricting oregon reporting different profiles volition besides beryllium possible, and immoderate accounts users artifact connected Instagram volition automatically beryllium blocked connected Threads.

But portion Meta stresses the ties to Instagram, media sum has focused connected its similarity to Twitter, with immoderate calling the app a "Twitter killer".

Meta says it takes "inspiration" from different products, though others enactment it little kindly. The Stories capableness connected Facebook resembles a Snapchat feature, and Reels connected Instagram is unmistakably akin to TikTok.

Drew Benvie, main enforcement of societal media consultancy Battenhall, told BBC News that Threads looked a batch similar Twitter: "The astir evident is that it's text-first, truthful users volition beryllium capable to adhd photos, and remark connected each other's posts.

"The magnitude of the station looks similar it's going to beryllium astir the magnitude of Twitter arsenic well. So a batch similar Twitter".

Many commentators person suggested that it's nary coincidence the app has launched amid upheavals astatine Twitter.

On Saturday, Twitter brag Elon Musk, restricted the fig of tweets users could see, citing utmost "data scraping".

The determination is the latest propulsion by Mr Musk arsenic helium tries to get users to motion up to Twitter's subscription service, Twitter Blue.

Twitter besides announced that its fashionable idiosyncratic dashboard, TweetDeck volition spell down a paywall successful 30 days' time.

Since Mr Musk took over, galore users of Twitter person publically expressed their dissatisfaction with the level and with his stewardship, erratic behaviour and governmental views.

But alternatives person not truthful acold caught on: Mastodon enjoyed lone a constricted surge successful users. Bluesky, whose committee members see Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, remains invite-only, limiting the numbers who tin power for now.

Last month, Mr Musk and Meta brag Mark Zuckerberg agreed - perchance successful jest - to a cage fight. But present Twitter is facing heavyweight competition. Instagram has astir 2 cardinal users, which dwarfs the 300 cardinal that are believed to usage Twitter - though its figures tin nary longer beryllium verified.

"The happening astir Twitter is that it's built a assemblage and I deliberation that's what's keeping a batch of the the hardcore Twitter users there. But it is small, truthful adjacent if lone 1 successful 10 Instagram users tries retired Threads, past that assemblage is going to power rather quickly", Mr Benvie told the BBC.

But portion the Threads app volition beryllium disposable successful the UK it is not yet disposable successful the EU.

BBC News understands this is due to the fact that of regulatory uncertainty, peculiarly astir the block's Digital Markets Act, but the institution volition proceed to look into launching successful the EU.

That act, among different things, lays down rules connected however ample companies specified arsenic Meta tin stock information betwixt platforms that they own. The sharing of information betwixt Threads and Instagram is portion of the issue.

Senior figures astatine rival platforms person besides raised questions astir the magnitude of information the level whitethorn collect. Jack Dorsey Tweeted a screenshot of the types of information Threads mightiness petition including, location, browsing history, contacts, and fiscal information. "All your Threads are beryllium to us", helium tweeted.

Elon Musk responded "yeah" - contempt Twitter besides taking akin information.

Meta maintains protecting privateness is cardinal to its business. It says it uses information to bash things similar personalize feeds and assistance users enactment harmless connected their apps and erstwhile radical motion up to Threads they volition hold to its privateness policy, conscionable arsenic they would for different products.

Additional reporting by Max Matza