As Twitter continues to flail about under Elon Musk, all eyes are on the newly launched Instagram Threads as a potential replacement. Meta launched Threads on iOS, Android, and the web on July 5th a little bit ahead of schedule.Two days in, Mark Zuckerberg said Threads has registered over 70 million accounts, and its still growing.In an interview about Threads with The Verge, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri explains why the platform wants to take on Twitter. Obviously, Twitter pioneered the space, Mosseri says. And there are a lot of good offerings out there for public conversations. But just given everything that was going on, we thought there was an opportunity to build something that was open and something that was good for the community that was already using Instagram.Rumors about the new Meta-owned platform were swirling for months, with a March report from Platformer revealing the company was exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. In June, Alex Heath leaked the details of a companywide meeting where the app was shown off and shared the first glimpse at Threads.Threads is Instagrams text-based conversation app where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to whatll be trending tomorrow. The app is closely tied to Instagram, meaning youll get to use the same username across both apps as well as quickly follow all of the accounts youve been following on Instagram.HighlightsToday, 12 minutes agoEmma RothThreads now lets you share your custom feedsImage: The VergeThreads will now let you share the custom feeds youve created, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday. This means other users can pin your custom feed to their homepage, giving them access to the same stream of curated content.Threads first rolled out custom feeds in November, which you can use to track your favorite topics or accounts on the platform. This new sharing feature is now rolling out, so it may be a little while before you see it on your Threads app.Read Article >Jan 24Emma RothThreads is offically getting adsIllustration: The VergeYour Threads feed will soon have ads. On Friday, Meta announced that its rolling out a limited, early test of ads in Threads, and the test will happen with a handful of brands in the US and Japan, according to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri.Ads on Threads will appear as images between posts in your home feed. As we learn from this test, we will monitor to see how its going before filling out more broadly, Meta says.Read Article >Jan 23Emma RothThreads now lets you schedule postsImage: The VergeFollowing last months test, Threads will now let everyone schedule posts, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced on Thursday. You can use the feature by creating a new post, selecting the three-dot menu in the top-left corner, and selecting Schedule.Once you get your post timed up, you can view, delete, or edit it from your drafts folder. Threads will let you schedule your posts up to 75 days in advance, but it wont allow you to schedule replies.Read Article >Dec 19, 2024Barbara KrasnoffHow to reshare Threads posts without quote postingImage: The VergeIn what seems to be a battle between Threads and Bluesky for the hearts and minds of ex-Twitterers, Threads has been adding some interesting new features. The latest is the ability to share photos and videos without including the original post in other words, without quote posting. (Theres a similar feature in X for videos.)There has been some initial pushback on it. A photographer on Threads complained that there will be a small watermark-like credit on the photo, but there wont be a link back to your account.Read Article >Dec 18, 2024Emma RothThreads will let you reshare pictures without the original postImage: The VergeThreads is rolling out a new feature that lets you share someones photos and videos without including the original post. Youll be able to add your own text alongside the reshared media, which will include a credit to the creator, according to Instagram head Adam Mosseri.This is a quick, easy way to add your creative takes to trending images and clips without quote posting, Mosseri says. The original posters username will appear in the top left corner of the photo or video, with a repost counter in the lower left. Threads spokesperson Alec Booker tells The Verge that tapping on the username will show a list of posts using the media, with the original post appearing at the top.Read Article >Dec 17, 2024Chris WelchThreads starts testing scheduled postsImage: The VergeThreads is about to begin testing the ability to schedule posts, according to Instagrams Adam Mosseri. Replies cannot be scheduled, he added, explaining that we want to balance giving people more control to plan their Threads posts while still encouraging real-time conversation.Mosseri also makes sure to note that Instagram has been working on this feature for months. Im choosing to take as a sign that the Instagram chief is fed up with the notion that Bluesky is the motivating factor behind every new improvement that comes to Threads. Last week, Threads introduced curated collections of people to follow, which drew comparisons to Blueskys starter packs.Read Article >Dec 15, 2024Wes DavisInstagrams head says social media needs more context because of AIIllustration by Nick Barclay / The VergeIn a series of Threads posts this afternoon, Instagram head Adam Mosseri says users shouldnt trust images they see online because AI is clearly producing content thats easily mistaken for reality. Because of that, he says users should consider the source, and social platforms should help with that.Our role as internet platforms is to label content generated as AI as best we can, Mosseri writes, but he admits some content will be missed by those labels. Because of that, platforms must also provide context about who is sharing so users can decide how much to trust their content.Read Article >Dec 11, 2024Alex HeathThreads is asking people if it moderates too much.I was just asked to complete a survey at the top of my feed that asked if I thought the app is too aggressive about taking down stuff. This tracks with Metas policy chief recently saying that the company wants to roll back its aggressive content policing.One question from a Threads user survey. Alex Heath / The VergeDec 2, 2024Wes DavisThreads next update is a search feature that finds the post youre looking forThreads now lets you filter searches by date range and profile. Screenshots: Threads iOS appThreads is rolling out a search update globally over the next few weeks that will let users filter searches to a specific profile and within date ranges. The existing search built into Threads has been a basic keyword search to find trending topics, posts, or accounts, with Top and Recent sorting options.The updated version adds a settings icon to the search bar that, when tapped, brings up After date, Before date, and From profile options.Read Article >Nov 26, 2024Wes DavisThreads says 35 million users signed up in NovemberImage: The VergeMetas Threads has accrued over 35 million signups so far in November and is going on three months with more than a million signups a day, Meta spokesperson Alec Booker told The Verge in an email today.20 million of those signups have come since November 14th, as Axios notes. Thats on top of the 15 million that Instagram head Adam Mosseri said it had gathered in the two weeks prior.Read Article >Nov 25, 2024Chris WelchThreads is testing the option to choose your own default feedIllustration: The VergeThreads will now let users decide what feed they want as their default when opening the app. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the news in a post, saying that youll be able to choose between For You, Following, or any custom feed that youve set up. Zuckerbergs post notes that Threads is testing this option and will also different feeds more visible in the app.It took over a year to get here, but Threads is finally doing the obvious thing and allowing people to use the app however they prefer. Hopefully this test expands to all users before long.Read Article >Nov 24, 2024Wes DavisThreads.com shows something now.Meta seemed to have bought the domain earlier this year, sometime after it bought the company that owned it prior to the debut of threads.net, where Metas Twitter competitor lives.Previously, visiting the threads.com URL didnt show anything, but today, it shows... well, an error message. With a Meta 2024 and a Facebook logo.Whats new? Screenshot: Threads.comNov 23, 2024Jay PetersThreads has landscape video now.Saw this news on 9to5Mac. I honestly didnt know landscape video wasnt previously possible.You can see these posts in context here. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The VergeNov 22, 2024Mia SatoThreads is overhauling its search and trending featuresImage: The VergeMeta is promising long-overdue improvements to its X competitor, Threads, including more precise search features and expanded trending topics.First, users will be able to search for posts within a specific date range or from a single account similar to what Xs search allows. Threads is also testing a new trending page in the US that includes additional topics to follow as well as AI-generated summaries of what other users are talking about.Read Article >Nov 21, 2024Jay PetersThreads will now show you replies when youre working on a reply.This seems very useful!Screenshot from the Threads account. Image: MetaNov 21, 2024Jay PetersThreads algorithm will focus more on the people you followIllustration: The VergeWe are rebalancing ranking to prioritize content from people you follow, which will mean less recommended content from accounts you dont follow and more posts from the accounts you do starting today, Threads boss Adam Mosseri announced on Thursday.This is another significant change to Threads since many people started flocking to Bluesky. It lets people default to seeing their Following feed when they open the app and offers lots of customizability, including custom feeds. Threads just yesterday rolled out its take on custom feeds less than a week after it started testing them.Read Article >Nov 20, 2024Jay PetersThreads custom feeds are already rolling outIllustration: The VergeJust five days after Meta started testing custom feeds in Threads, the company is already rolling them out to everyone. With custom feeds, you can track topics and accounts in one feed, making it easier to keep an eye on specific things that matter to you.To make a custom feed, search for a topic, then click on the three dots menu next to the search bar, and then click on the Create new feed option. Custom feeds can also contain information about multiple topics just add a new one from a search or, on desktop, from the three dots menu next to a feed. You can add individual accounts to custom feeds, too, giving you a lot of flexibility on whats contained in that feed.Read Article >Nov 15, 2024Emma RothThreads is testing custom feeds for your favorite topicsImage: The VergeThreads is testing a way to create custom feeds for certain profiles or topics, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday. The upcoming feature should make it easier to keep tabs on different interests, such as your favorite sports team or even technology-related news.It sounds similar to the custom feeds feature Bluesky rolled out last year but Threads version seems a lot simpler. To create a custom feed, just search and tap into a topic. From there, select the three-dot icon beside the search term and choose create new feed.Read Article >Nov 14, 2024Jay PetersStephen King is taking a stand.King, who might be partially responsible for the original $8 starting price for Elon Musks Twitter Blue (now X Premium), is leaving for Threads. Heres his Threads profile.Nov 14, 2024Jay PetersThreads grew by a Bluesky this month