Instagram’s Twitter Rival Thread Launching On July 6

For months, Meta-owned Instagram has teased an app called Threads, rumoured to be its rival to Twitter. Now, Threads is officially launching on 6 July, as revealed by listings on the App Store and Google Play Store. Mark Zuckerberg recently hinted at such an app on the Lex Friedman podcast, and it seems Meta is ready to take on Elon Musk’s Twitter, which has struggled since his acquisition 15 months ago.

Meta added a launch day teaser for Threads to Instagram. Typing ‘threads’ in the Instagram search box displays a ticket icon which, when tapped, shows your username and the launch time, 19:30 in India.

‘Say more with Threads – Instagram’s text-based conversation app. Threads brings communities together to discuss everything from today’s hot topics to tomorrow’s trends. Follow your favourite creators and others with similar interests, build your own loyal following, and share your voice with the world,’ the App Store listing says. The teaser lets users pre-download Threads to automatically install at launch.

Users will likely log in with their Instagram handles. The interface may resemble Twitter or text-focused apps like Bluesky and Mastodon, and integrate Mastodon’s protocol, ActivityPub, according to leaked info.

Buzz surrounds Threads amid backlash over Musk’s rocky Twitter takeover. Mass layoffs, service issues, changes to verification and data access policies, and instability in tools like Tweetdeck, soon to become paid, have spurred more Bluesky users, forcing a waitlist.

Musk’s unpredictable leadership and product overhauls have alienated users, and his planned subscription model and policy reversals create uncertainty. Threads may capitalise on this unease, luring users and influencers should it prove a more stable platform for community and connection. The imminent launch will reveal whether Threads poses a real threat to Twitter’s dominance.

Twitter is also making sudden and major changes to Tweetdeck, a tool used by journalists and social media experts. It is also going to soon become paid. Twitter’s erratic management has led to a spike in the number of Bluesky users forcing the service to not onboard more users for the time being.

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