Meta is preparing to launch a web version of it text-based social media app Threads sometime this week, the Wall Street Journal reported, the latest in a series of features added to the platform as it attempts to gain parity with X, formerly known as Twitter, and reverse a steep slump in engagement after a record-breaking launch last month.
Key facts
- According to the Journal, the long-demanded feature will arrive early in the week following a comment by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri last week that the company was already testing the feature internally.
- A desktop web version of Threads has long been on the top of the list of demanded features as the social media platform is currently only accessible on mobile.
- After launching with a fairly barebones app, Threads has continued to add several new features which are often highlighted by Mosseri and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in weekly posts on either Instagram or Threads.
- The company’s rush to add new features comes as the number of active users on the platform has dropped by more than 80% on Android.
News peg
Over the past month, Threads has been rolling out several new features to bring its app on par with X’s.
The biggest of these has been the addition of a following feed as at launch the app only displayed an algorithmic timeline—where posts are displayed based on an algorithm that decides what it thinks may be most relevant to a user.
The following feed only shows posts made by accounts a user is following in reverse chronological order. Reposts—threads equivalent to a retweet—were recently added to the following feed based on user feedback.
Aside from a web version of the app, two key features that Threads still lacks is the ability to search for posts made on the platform and hashtags. While Zuckerberg and Mosseri have indicated the former is coming soon, hashtags and a trending section are simply “on the list.”
Crucial quote
Last month, Mosseri explained the rationale behind rolling out such a barebonesversion of their Twitter competitors saying: “It’s always a delicate balance between features and time. We wanted to get more done, but we’re starting to worry that the window of opportunity was closing on us.”
Key background
Threads launched as an offshoot of Instagram last month and quickly became the fastest-growing app in history, as the Elon Musk-owned X battled a series of controversies and technical glitches.
This success was short-lived, however, as the app engagement numbers started to nosedive within weeks.
Speaking at a company town hall late last month, Zuckerberg reportedly told Meta employees that Threads’ user retention metrics were “not perfect” even though they were better than what the company had anticipated.
“Obviously, if you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around,” Zuckerberg said, adding that the platform was not “there yet.”
This article was first published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
