Threads wants to compete with Twitter. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Meta on Wednesday released Threads — a new text-based app that aims to rival Twitter. However, the app has not yet started in Germany.
There are other Twitter competitors, but Threads has the advantage of being able to draw on Instagram’s existing user base.
Here are some of the differences between Twitter and Threads in the app.
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Meta has Threads, the new text-based app that some are calling the “Twitter Killer.”, presented on Wednesday. However: Threads will not appear in Germany and the other EU countries, at least for the time being. According to Meta, the reason is still regulatory issues.
The app is the latest in a line of competitors like Bluesky and Donald Trump’s Truth Social. It aims to provide an alternative digital space for conversation alongside Twitter.
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Threads uses Instagram users
One immediate benefit Threads could have over other competitors is the potential to convert Instagram’s existing user base into new Threads accounts. Because: The users must have an Instagram login. It is estimated that Instagram has more than 1.21 billion active users.
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Threads also comes less than a year after Elon Musk acquired Twitter. He had made some controversial changes to the app. Among them the abolition of the old rules for moderation of content, the optimization of the For Your algorithm. And doing away with the verification process instead of a monthly subscription.
On Saturday, Musk also announced a cap on the number of tweets that can be posted by unverified users per day.
Here’s what Meta’s Threads app looks like and how it performs compared to its main competitor, Twitter.
Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
Threads requires users to have an Instagram account. When creating a profile, Threads offers the option to import bio information and followers from an existing Instagram profile.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
Meta confirmed that Threads offers users a character limit of 500 characters. Unverified Twitter users have a maximum of 280 characters.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
One of Threads’ advantages over competing text-based apps is Instagram’s large existing user base. When Instagram users create an account, they have the option to immediately add profiles they already follow.
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Screenshot/Meta
Threads users can also switch between the text-based app and Instagram. Posts on threads can be shared on a user’s Instagram story or profile.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
Threads’ home page is similar to Twitter’s “For You” page, where users see accounts they are following and may be interested in. On Threads, a user can follow an account by clicking the “plus” icon.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
On the Twitter homepage, users can view the latest trends and other topics that may interest them. Right now you can only scroll through the home feed to see what’s in the threads.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
Threads provides the ability to hide the number of likes in a user’s posts. Hiding the number of likes in threads will also hide the number on the user’s Instagram profile.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
At the time of Wednesday’s launch, threads didn’t appear to have an option to save draft posts.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
There are also differences in the creation of threads. Threads require a user to press Enter three times to start a topic. On Twitter, threads are started with the plus key.
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Screenshot/Twitter and Meta
In threads, users cannot see another profile’s likes.
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Screenshot/Meta
In the first few hours after starting threads, some errors started appearing. Some users reported problems logging in.
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External content not available
Your privacy settings prevent the loading and display of all external content (e.g. graphics or tables) and social networks (e.g. Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.). To view, please activate the settings for social networks and external content in the privacy settings .
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