Threads: Meta to launch web version of flagging Threads app

Meta is releasing a web mentation of Threads, arsenic it attempts to revive the societal media platform.

The rival to X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, enjoyed meteoric growth erstwhile it launched successful July.

However, users past abandoned it just arsenic rapidly, partially owed to its constricted functionality.

Meta says the web mentation is portion of a thrust to present caller features but experts pass much needs to beryllium done to rebuild lawsuit interest.

In a station connected the level - accompanied by what helium said was a representation of him gathering Threads for the web - Meta brag Mark Zuckerberg said it would beryllium "rolling retired implicit the adjacent fewer days."

Users volition beryllium capable to station a thread, presumption their provender and interact with different people's threads.

However different aspects of the mobile app volition not beryllium disposable connected the web initially.

For example, users won't beryllium capable to edit their illustration oregon nonstop a thread to the nonstop messenger diagnostic of its sister platform, Instagram.

Meta says it volition adhd much functionality successful the coming weeks arsenic it seeks to marque the web and mobile acquisition of the app the same.

Threads raced to much than 100 cardinal users successful the week pursuing its motorboat but by the extremity of July that fig had much than halved.

The tech giant, which besides owns Facebook and WhatsApp, volition anticipation this announcement volition assistance reverse that trend.

"Meta made the prime to motorboat Threads successful a precise basal form," said Rebecca McGrath, subordinate manager for media and exertion astatine Mintel.

"This has frustrated users who checked retired the level pursuing its much-hyped launch, and were expecting it to beryllium a ready-to-go alternate to Twitter," she added.

"Offering a web mentation is simply a precise important step. However, it inactive has a mode to go."

The level inactive does not person a hunt relation - thing users person complained astir and experts accidental it needs if it is to truly instrumentality connected Elon Musk's X.

"Meta are going to person to enactment to rotation retired a vastly improved hunt functionality to fto users find topic-based communities to truly gully backmost the assemblage who are looking to regenerate Twitter," Tama Leaver, prof of net studies astatine Curtin University successful Australia, told the BBC.

"On that front, Meta's reluctance to instrumentality hashtags, particularly arsenic they're already connected Instagram, seems an unusual prime erstwhile truly that's the azygous diagnostic that's astir synonymous with X and the relation that would astir apt person users to travel backmost and springiness Threads a 2nd look."

Prof Leaver besides said Threads' attempts to dethrone X mightiness beryllium aided by the controversies that proceed to canine the level antecedently known arsenic Twitter.

Rebecca McGrath from Mintel agrees, saying the "continued arguable moves" astatine X would "keep up the desire" for an alternative.

"This means radical volition beryllium acceptable to prosecute with Threads erstwhile again erstwhile it has a much precocious version," she told the BBC.

"Time, though, is inactive of the essence for Threads."