Threads, Instagram’s new Twitter rival, is now available: All your questions answered

Meta has officially unveiled its Threads app globally. Instagram's new text-based social networking app debuts as a direct competitor to Twitter. The introduction of the Threads app comes amid Elon Musk's mismanagement of microblogging site Twitter.

Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, attributed the development of the Threads app to the "volatility" and "unpredictability" of Twitter under the supervision of Elon Musk as it created an opening for competition in the space.

Threads App Availability

Users can access Threads app on both iOS (App Store) and Android (Play Store). Additionally, PC users can access the desktop site at Threads.net.

The Threads app is currently available in 100 countries worldwide. However, the app won't be accessible to users in the European Union, which is largely because of data protection laws and the EU's upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is set to take effect in 2024.

Zuckerberg believes that Threads could be bigger than Twitter. The Threads app has already amassed over five million sign-ups within the first four hours of its launch, according to a report by the BBC.

Why Threads?

When asked about Threads, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg said, ""It'll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will."

In an interview with The Verge, Mosseri said, "Obviously, Twitter pioneered the space... 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."

Threads App: How it works?

The Threads app allows Instagram users to authenticate existing accounts to post content on Threads. These posts can include text with up to 500 characters as well as share photos and videos up to five minutes long.

Since the Threads app is linked to Instagram, users can log in to the platform with their Instagram username and conveniently follow the same people. The Thread app shares posts from both the people you follow and other recommended content and like Instagram there is no means to segregate the two.

Threads also has some of Instagram's privacy features, allowing users to filter out certain words in replies. Users can also control who can reply to a thread from followers, to everyone, to only the ones who have been tagged in a post.