Say what you will about the social media platform Threads—for instance that its rushed rollout in 2023 felt like a rather cynical ploy by Meta to exploit the public’s aversion to X owner Elon Musk, and that it’s not clear who Threads is for in the first place—but hey: a favorable report from Similarweb is making it look more popular than its main competitor, Elon Musk’s X.
Last year, according to a report from the analytics company Similarweb, Threads briefly edged out X in mobile daily active users. Then the two platforms’ performance by this metric more or less converged for a while, before Threads achieved a higher number of daily active users for the month of October, also according to Similarweb. Now, the latest report from Similarweb (Similarweb publishes a lot of these reports), gives Threads a still healthier lead in daily active iOS and Android users. Threads had achieved 141.5 million daily active users as of about two weeks ago, while X’s Android and iOS apps have only 125 million daily active users.
X is still far and away the more popular platform for web-based users, an important claim that hints at wider relevance. In September of last year, according to Forbes, there were 140.7 million daily active users on X.com, while only a minuscule 7.7 million daily active users materialized on the Threads website.
It should be noted that unlike X—and fellow X clone Bluesky, for that matter—Threads is a subsidiary of a more popular social media app than any of these: Instagram. Meta funnels Instagram users to Threads, and vice versa, a tactic that pretty obviously boosts the power levels of both platforms. And that’s not to mention that they both exist under the aegis of Facebook.
And while Threads’ ascent past X reflects a long term upward trend, not a short-term spike, it’s also worth mentioning that this shift comes amid a rather nasty scandal in which a chatbot operated by X’s parent company was recently running amok on the platform, generating non-consensual deepfake bikini photos of people, including minors in some cases.
Bluesky also experienced a spike in downloads at the height of the controversy according to a report from the data company Appfigures as quoted by TechCrunch—at one point experiencing a 50% boost in daily downloads from the period before its competitor’s deepfake crisis.
A report from market intelligence firm Similarweb suggests that Meta’s Threads is now seeing more daily usage than Elon Musk’s X on mobile devices. While X still dominates Threads on the web, the Threads mobile app for iOS and Android has continued to see an increase in daily active users over the past several months.
Similarweb’s data shows that Threads had 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android as of January 7, 2026, after months of growth, while X has 125 million daily active users on mobile devices.
This appears to be the result of longer-term trends, rather than a reaction to the recent X controversies, where users were discovered using the platform’s integrated AI, Grok, to create non-consensual nude images of women, including, sometimes minors. Concern around the deepfake images has now prompted California’s attorney general to open an investigation into Grok, following similar investigations by other regions, like the UK, EU, India, Brazil, and many more.
The drama on X also led social networking startup Bluesky to see an increase in app installs in recent days.
Instead, Threads’ boost in daily mobile usage may be driven by other factors, including cross-promotions from Meta’s larger social apps like Facebook and Instagram (where Threads is regularly advertised to existing users), its focus on creators, and the rapid rollout of new features. Over the past year, Threads has added features like interest-based communities, better filters, DMs, long-form text, disappearing posts, and has recently been spotted testing games.
Combined, the daily active user increases suggest that more people are using Threads on mobile as a more regular habit.
According to Meta’s official numbers, the tech giant said in August 2025 that Threads had reached over 400 million monthly active users. The company subsequently reported in October of last year that Threads had 150 million daily active users.
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The growth trends have been continuing for many months. Similarweb last summer reported that Threads was closing the gap with X on mobile devices after seeing 127.8% year-over-year growth as of late June 2025.
Relatedly, Similarweb observed that X is still ahead of Threads in the U.S., but the gap is narrowing. A year ago, X had twice as many daily active users in the U.S. as it does now.
In addition, Threads has little traction on the web while X maintains a fairly steady web audience with around 150 million daily web visits, according to Similarweb data. As of earlier this week (January 13), X was seeing 145.4 million daily web visits, while Threads saw 8.5 million daily web visits across Threads.com and Threads.net combined.
In 2025, The Atlanta Voice reaffirmed its place as a cornerstone of Black-owned media in Atlanta, honoring nearly six decades of legacy while embracing innovation to meet the moment. The year stood as a powerful reflection of where the paper has been, where it stands, and where it is boldly headed.
From launching new storytelling platforms and opening creative community spaces to earning major civic recognition and expanding its newsroom, 2025 marked a pivotal chapter in the publication’s ongoing mission to inform, uplift, and advocate for Atlanta’s Black communities.
Preserving Black History Through New Media
This year brought an expansion of storytelling through the launch of In The Black: Legacy of Legends, a video series dedicated to capturing and preserving the stories of Black leaders, pioneers, and cultural figures whose impact has shaped Atlanta and the nation.
The series reflects a long-standing commitment to honoring elders and documenting lived experiences that too often go unrecorded. By embracing video storytelling, the newsroom bridged generational gaps, ensuring Black history is not only written, but seen and heard. At its core, the initiative reinforces a belief that Black communities must continue to control their own narratives.
Strengthening the Newsroom
The reporting team grew in 2025 with the addition of journalist Tabius McCoy, further strengthening the paper’s commitment to rigorous, community-centered journalism. McCoy brought fresh perspective and a deep respect for the mission, contributing coverage that informs, challenges, and reflects the realities of Atlanta’s Black communities. His arrival underscored continued investment in the next generation of storytellers while upholding the standards that have defined the newspaper for decades.
A Historic Honor for a Lasting Legacy
The Atlanta Voice Publisher, Janis Ware (left) and her sister, Dr. Rhonda Ware (right). Photo by Jazmine Brazier/The Atlanta Voice
One of the most significant milestones of the year came with the induction of Publisher Janis Ware and her late father, J. Lowell Ware, into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame. The honor recognized their enduring contributions to journalism and the preservation of Black-owned media in Atlanta. J. Lowell Ware’s leadership guided the paper through eras of profound social change. Janis Ware has carried that legacy forward—navigating the modern media landscape with vision, resilience, and a deep commitment to community accountability. The dual induction symbolized a bridge between generations and reaffirmed the publication’s lasting influence in Atlanta’s media history.
In another first, a Midday Open House welcomed community members, partners, and supporters into the organization’s space for a celebration rooted in transparency and connection. Guests engaged directly with staff, learned more about the work behind the headlines, and celebrated the paper’s role as a trusted voice in Atlanta. The event reflected a long-held belief by the publication: journalism is strongest when it is accessible, relational, and grounded in the communities it serves.
A New Creative Chapter: WAREhouse Studios
The year also marked the opening of WAREhouse Studios, a creative and production space designed to support multimedia storytelling, collaboration, and community engagement. The studio represents an investment not only in the future of the publication but in the broader ecosystem of Black creatives and storytellers. WAREhouse Studios positions the organization to expand its digital and visual storytelling capabilities while creating new opportunities for innovation, partnerships, and cultural preservation.
Recognized as a Legacy Business
Recognition came in the form of the Invest Atlanta Legacy Business Grant, honoring the newspaper’s longstanding economic and cultural impact on the city. The designation highlighted resilience, adaptability, and the importance of one of Atlanta’s historic Black-owned institutions. The grant serves as both recognition and reinforcement—acknowledging the continued role the paper plays in shaping civic dialogue and sustaining Black entrepreneurship.
Leadership Honored on a Citywide Stage
Photo By Trarell Torrence Credit: Photo by Trarell Torrence
Publisher Janis Ware was also named a2025 Salute to Women of Achievement honoree by the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, recognizing women whose leadership and service have made a lasting difference in the community. The honor reflected decades of dedication not only to journalism but to equity, representation, and the preservation of Black-owned media in an era of consolidation and change.
Investing in Black Entrepreneurship: In The Black-Black Business Directory
Economic empowerment remained a key focus with the expansion of the In The Black- Black Business Directory, a growing digital resource designed to spotlight, support, and sustain Black-owned businesses across metro Atlanta. More than a listing, the directory serves as a tool for visibility, connection, and the circulation of Black dollars—making it easier for readers, residents, and institutions to intentionally support Black entrepreneurship. Integrated into the publication’s digital ecosystem, the directory reinforces a role that extends beyond storytelling to active community investment. The initiative aligns with a long-held belief that storytelling and economic justice are deeply connected. Highlighting Black-owned businesses alongside coverage of civic leadership, culture, and history reflects a holistic approach to community advocacy, one that recognizes ownership, access, and opportunity as essential parts of progress.
Digital Reach and Community Engagement
Digital growth continued throughout 2025, demonstrating expanding reach and influence across platforms.
Facebook led performance with 5.6 million views and 1.6 million visitors, while Instagram generated 2.4 million views and reached 1.1 million users. On X, our content received 532,000 impressions, expanding our visibility in real-time conversations. Emerging and professional platforms also contributed to our digital footprint. , while Threads recorded 23,000 views and LinkedIn achieved 16,000 impressions.
Together, these milestones underscore the publication’s ability to connect with audiences across generations while maintaining the depth and credibility that define its journalism.
Looking Ahead
As 2025 comes to a close, the year stands as a testament to the power of legacy paired with innovation. From honoring the past to building new platforms, opening doors, and creating space for future generations, the work continues to evolve while remaining grounded in its founding mission. Nearly 60 years after its founding, The Atlanta Voice remains a trusted voice for Atlanta’s Black communities, telling stories that matter, preserving history, and helping shape what comes next.
The conversation continues beyond these pages. Readers can stay connected by following The Atlanta Voice on social media, subscribing to our newsletters, and visiting theatlantavoice.com for ongoing coverage of Atlanta’s Black communities.
Threads is one of the two big platforms that materialized in 2023 as alternatives to X/Twitter when Elon Musk really started remaking it in his own image. Bluesky developed an unmistakable identity as the microblogging platform where liberals talk about liberal stuff, while Threads became the microblogging platform built atop Instagram, where Instagram users talk about themselves.
Now, Threads’ parent company Meta is making a concerted effort to nail down some semblance of a specific audience: podcasters and podcast fans.
As reported by Engadget, Threads announced a suite of podcast-friendly features on Tuesday, rolling out slowly (the timeline is unclear) with some of the functions debuting immediately—particularly for podcasts that live on Spotify. To start, podcasters can now put a big, graphical link to their podcasts in their bio that looks, integrated and official, including the title of the latest episode.
Also, that famous problem where microblogging platforms tend to be bad at scraping data from podcast feeds for posts, and typically don’t generate elegant, clickable preview “cards” is more or less solved now. When podcasters inevitably post their latest episodes—again, if they’re on Spotify—they’ll get pleasant, visually legible buttons with the word “PODCAST” right on them, so there’ll be no more confusion.
Adam Mosseri, the CEO and President of Instagram, wrote on Threads that he’s “excited about this, there is lots more to do to support podcasts here on Threads.” For starters, it will need these features to support Apple Podcasts, instead of just Spotify, if Threads is going to really transform into the social media home of the podcasting universe, though Engadget says that support is in the works.
But as Joseph Bernstein of the New York Times style section wrote back in July, the appeal of podcasts as a social media phenomenon isn’t just the ability to share episodes clearly and easily. “Clips of video podcasts slot neatly into the Gen Z and millennial behemoths of TikTok and Instagram.”
“To get a sense of just how much things have changed, imagine the viral podcast appearances of the 2024 presidential campaign — Donald J. Trump on Theo Von’s podcast and Kamala Harris on “Call Her Daddy” — happening without YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X. You can’t,” Bernstein wrote.
In my experience, viral podcast clips show up as context-free content, wandering around social media without necessarily getting linked back to the creator, or even crediting them. Harnessing that virality for clicks and followers is a tough trick for creators to pull off. Figuring out a solution to that problem could make Threads the truly hospitable environment for podcasters it seems to want to be.
Threads is working on new features that could make the text-based social network a bit more audio-friendly. Starting today, Threads is rolling out some new features for sharing podcasts and podcast episodes. Creators have the option to add the link to their show to their bio page; after that, their posts with show and episode links will appear with an audio preview. Non-hosts will also start to see the new previews when they post links to their favorite shows.
For starters, the rollout is only supporting Spotify shows. Connor Hayes, who heads up Threads and also posted about the new feature, said in a reply to another user that Apple Podcasts will also eventually receive support. The previews are going live today and will become available to all users over the coming weeks.
In theory, this feature could help attract new listeners. However, Threads doesn’t have a strong success rate when it comes to its users clicking on links. It should be interesting to see if the audiovisual addition makes it any more appealing for people to visit podcast pages.
Threads has grown to 150 million daily active users. Mark Zuckerberg shared the latest milestone for the company’s text-based app during Meta’s third-quarter earnings call. The company previously reported in August that Threads had reached more than 400 million monthly users.
Zuckerberg, who has mused that Threads could become Meta’s next billion-person app, said that it was “on track to become the leader in its category.” He also said that time spent in the app had increased by 10 percent, which he credited to improvements to the company’s AI recommendation systems.
On Wednesday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said that Meta was also “exploring” algorithm personalization controls for Threads. The company is currently testing the ability to “tune” Instagram’s algorithmic recommendations.
As Threads has grown, Meta also confirmed that ads are ramping up on the platform. During the call with analysts, Meta CFO Susan Li said that “ads are now running globally” in the Threads feed. The company had previously brought ads to Threads users in 30 countries following a small test earlier this year. This week, the company also announced that it would expand the type of ad formats on Threads, including video ads. “We’re following our typical monetization playbook of optimizing the ads formats and performance,” Li said.
Have you seen a tweet from President Donald Trump saying he’ll refuse to invite whoever wins the World Series to the White House? Trump appears to say that it’s because he believes the game is rigged, either by the mafia or the Democrats. But the tweet isn’t real. The post has gone viral across just about every major social media platform, but it’s completely fake.
The post is made to look like it’s coming from President Trump’s official Truth Social account, the platform he owns and the first place where he posts all his most unhinged messages.
“NO MATTER WHO WINS I WILL REFUSE TO INVITE EITHER BASEBALL TEAM TO MY BALL ROOM AS THEY ARE BOTH RUN BY HIGHLY INEPT OFFICIALS FROM CALIFORNIA AND ONTARIO CANADA,” the fake tweet reads.
“I DON’T HOST LOSERS. WE ARE ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING MLB. THIS WORLD SERIES IS RIGGED, PROBABLY BY THE DEMS & THE MAFIA,” the fake tweet continues.
The screenshot spread far and wide over the weekend, showing up on Threads, X, Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook. But Trump never wrote this one.
Fake tweet made to look like it’s from President Donald Trump about the World Series. Screenshot: Facebook
The reaction to the viral post was about what you’d expect, especially among fans of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that’s currently playing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the World Series championship. The series is tied 1-1 and Game 3 will be played tonight.
Many Canadians made fun of the fake Trump tweet, since they didn’t think a Canadian team would even be invited to the White House in the first place. Trump slapped an additional 10% tariff on Canada over the weekend because he got mad about an ad that highlighted Ronald Reagan’s opposition to tariffs. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the ad a “psy-op” by the Canadian government on Sunday. Trump has claimed the ad is fake, even falsely insisting it’s AI. But it’s real.
Things are different for the American team, which could very well get an invitation to the White House if they win. The Dodgers won the World Series last year and did indeed show up in April to snap pictures. Trump also received a “47” jersey from the team, since he’s kind of the 47th president. We say “kind of” because he’s only 47th if you don’t count by the number of people to hold the office, but by the number of consecutive terms that make up a single era. And even then, it’s not quite right since Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms as well.
There are many red flags in the fake post from Trump, but the reference to the ballroom might be one of the most glaring. The president has demolished the East Wing of the White House, and he’s building a ballroom with “donations” from private companies and individuals who have given him millions. But even on the most ambitious timeline, the ballroom won’t be completed by the time a White House visit by the 2025 World Series champions might take place. Trump hasn’t announced a completion date for his ridiculous monstrosity, but the administration has said it will be done before his second term is up in Jan. 2029.
Another fake post that’s gotten less traction, but is still popping up here and there on social media, specifically calls out the Blue Jays.
“WE WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE UN AMERICAN BLUE JAYS WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO STEAL OUR BELOVED WORLD SERIES,” the fake tweet reads. “THEY WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE INVITED TO THE WHITE HOUSE.”
Interestingly, author Stephen King seemed to fall for the first tweet in this article, poking fun at him on X, but the Community Notes that have attempted to fact-check King are referring to the second tweet about the Blue Jays. That’s how many fake Trump tweets seem to be doing the rounds these days. Nobody can keep any of this stuff straight.
The reason these fake tweets go viral is that it’s simply impossible to tell which screeds from President Trump are authentic. Trump has always been off his rocker, but he’s gotten increasingly unhinged during his second term, posting some of the weirdest things that a president has ever expressed in public.
As just one recent example, Trump posted an AI video of himself last month talking about “medbeds,” a bizarre conspiracy theory that claims there are real beds being hidden from the public that can heal all diseases. The video even includes a fake Trump touting these miracle cures and insisting they were going to be available soon to “restore every citizen to full health.”
In a world where the president is posting about medbeds—to say nothing of the Department of Homeland Security posting Nazi propaganda—it can be extremely difficult to tell what’s real. And that’s not going to change as long as the Trump regime remains in power. In fact, it’s likely to get much, much worse.
Meta’s Threads is getting its own version of ephemeral posting with a new feature the company is calling “ghost posts.” The temporary posts will be published within Threads’ main feed like any other post, but will disappear after 24 hours. And while other users can interact with ghost posts, only the original poster will be able to view likes and replies.
Instead of typical public-facing replies, replies to ghost posts will be routed directly to users’ inboxes, where they can opt to respond privately. In some cases, this could also mean that replies for ghost posts are more limited than replies to normal posts, as Meta’s default messaging settings limit DMs to followed accounts only (these settings can be tweaked in the Threads app).
In some ways, it’s not surprising Meta would add temporary posts to Threads as a way to encourage users there to share more. On Instagram, Stories are used far more than permanent grid posts. In a blog post, Meta describes the new feature as a way for people to “share unfiltered thoughts and fresh takes without the pressure of permanence or polish.”
But ephemeral formats haven’t always been successful on text-based platforms like Threads. Twitter briefly experimented with an ephemeral Stories like format it called “Fleets.” Then-CEO Jack Dorsey reportedly “grew to despise” the feature, and it was killed less than a year after it launched.
There are times when you may want to prevent videos and GIFs from automatically playing in your social media feeds. This could be because you’re trying to conserve cellular data, limit the addictiveness of these apps, or maintain better control over your viewing experience, as when a video is going viral that you don’t wish to see. Whatever the reason might be, here are the steps to turn off autoplaying videos and GIFs on popular social media platforms.
Facebook
To turn off autoplay on Facebook, navigate to your profile picture icon, which appears in the top right corner of the desktop version or in the bottom navigation bar of the mobile app. Then, scroll down to “Settings & Privacy,” then select “Preferences,” where you’ll find a menu option for “Media.” Within that menu, there is an option to toggle video playback in your Feed and in Stories. Select the “Never” option.
The quick path: Settings > Preferences > Media > Video Playback > Never.
Instagram
On the Instagram app, tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner. Once you’re on your profile page, tap the menu icon in the upper right corner of your screen (it’s the icon with three horizontal lines). Then, scroll to “Settings and activity,” then navigate to “Your app and media,” where you’ll find “Media quality.” From there, you can toggle on the option to “Use less cellular data.”
This isn’t as foolproof as a “don’t autoplay content” setting, but it will at least slow things down if you’re off Wi-Fi. Instagram also won’t autoplay sounds unless you click on a post with sound first.
The quick path: Profile > Settings and activity > Your app and media > Media quality > Use less cellular data.
X (Twitter)
On X, navigate to your profile picture in the top left to access the sidebar (on desktop, the sidebar is already visible). Then, select “Settings and privacy” — this will be in smaller font at the bottom of the menu on the app, and on mobile, you have to tap the three dots at the end of the list to bring up more options, which includes “Settings and privacy.” Next, scroll down to “Accessibility, display, and languages,” which will open another menu with a “Data usage” option, where you can turn off “Video autoplay.”
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You can be extra thorough by navigating back to “Settings and privacy” and selecting “Display and sound.” There, you can toggle off “Media previews.”
The quick path: Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Data usage > Video autoplay, and Settings and privacy > Display and sound > Media previews.
Bluesky
Access Bluesky’s menu by tapping the three-line icon in the upper left corner of the mobile app, then choose “Settings” at the bottom of the list. On desktop, this menu is accessible via the sidebar. Select “Content and media,” which will display options that include “Autoplay videos and GIFs.” Toggle this option off.
The quick path: Settings > Content and media > Autoplay videos and GIFs.
Threads
Unfortunately, Meta’s two-year-old microblogging platform does not yet offer a way to turn off autoplay. Hopefully, that’s on the product roadmap.
Threads is testing a new feature that makes it easy to share long-form text on the social network, Meta confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The feature lets users attach a block of text to a post instead of creating a thread of several different posts when looking to share more in-depth thoughts and ideas.
App researcher Radu Oncescu first spotted the new “text attachment” feature on iOS and shared a screenshot of it. According to the app’s description of the new feature, it’s designed to allow users to “attach longer text and get creative with styling tools to share deeper thoughts, news snippets, book excerpts, and more.”
The ability to share long-form content could help Threads retain creators and writers who want more distribution for articles that would otherwise be posted on their blogs or newsletter platforms like Substack. The feature also gets rid of the need for workarounds when looking to share text that goes beyond the word limit for posts, such as sharing a screenshot of a block of text in your phone’s Notes app.
Threads user Robert P. Nickson shared a post using the feature to show what it looks like to viewers. A snippet of the long-form text is displayed in a gray box within the post, which people can then click on to read and scroll through the full content.
Image Credits:Roberto P. Nickson/@rpm
Threads competitor X already offers a way for users to share long-form content on the platform with “Articles.” While X’s feature is only available for Premium subscribers, Threads’ feature is accessible to everyone, but that could change in the future.
Additionally, Threads only allows users to share text, whereas X’s lets people incorporate images and videos. Considering that the feature is still in the testing phase, it’s possible that Threads could add support for multimedia in the future.
Meta says it plans to bring this to more users in the future.
Threads recently topped 400 million monthly active users just two years since its launch. X, on the other hand, has north of 600 million monthly active users, according to previous statements made by former CEO Linda Yaccarino.
It’s now harder to know where celebrities are flying to and their carbon emissions, with Meta shutting down Instagram and Threads accounts devoted to tracking private jets, TechCrunch reports. “Given the risk of physical harm to individuals, and in keeping with the independent Oversight Board’s recommendation, we’ve disabled these accounts for violating our privacy policy,” Meta told the publication. Deleted accounts include those tracking the flights of Taylor Swift, Bill Gates and, the head of Meta himself, Mark Zuckerberg.
Jack Sweeney, a college student in his early 20s who runs the accounts, confirmed the news on his personal account. It’s the latest in a line of pushback he has faced in the past. In Late 2022, Elon Musk suspended Sweeney’s @ElonJet account — which tracked Musk’s flights — on X (then Twitter). He soon made an account with the handle @ElonJetNextDay to post Musk’s flights with a one day delay. Then, one year later, Taylor Swift’s lawyers sent Sweeney a cease-and-desist letter stating, “While this may be a game to you, or an avenue that you hope will earn you wealth or fame, it is a life-or-death matter for our Client.”
In May, Sweeney’s job became a little bit harder, with the Biden administration allowing anyone with a private aircraft to keep their registration data anonymous. However, Sweeney said tips and other research make it still doable.
It’s easy to forget that there’s another social network besides Threads for people tired of Elon Musk’s . Bluesky is a fine alternative, as it definitely “feels” like Twitter. However, it has been lacking some of the features that made Twitter such an internet hotspot back in the day. Well, we just got a big one. The company just announced that users .
There are some caveats. First of all, the videos have to be under a minute. That’s a fairly huge hurdle for just about every piece of content other than TikTok-style shorts. As a comparison, allows for five minute videos. Also, the videos autoplay by default, though that can be handled in the settings. Finally, there’s a hard limit of 25 videos per user each day, though the company says it could tweak that in the future.
The platform supports most of the major video file types, including .mp4, .mpeg, .webm, and .mov files. Users can also attach subtitles to each video, which is a nice little bonus. There are some guardrails in place to protect against “spam and abuse.” Only users who have verified their email address can upload videos and illegal content will be “purged” from the infrastructure. There’s also a way to submit reports to the moderation team. Additionally, each video will be .
Update to version 1.91 of the mobile app to get started, though it also works via the desktop client. Not every user will be able to access this feature right away, as version 1.91 will be a gradual rollout to “ensure a smooth experience.”
Bluesky into the mix, which is something Threads doesn’t have. The platform may be a distant third, when compared to X and Threads, but it’s certainly growing. A massive influx of Brazilian users recently joined the social media site after .
Threads is testing the option for users to put a 24-hour expiration timer on their posts, after which the post and all replies would disappear, Stories-style. A spokesperson confirmed to that the feature is being tested among a group of users after it was first spotted earlier this summer by developer . It sounds a lot like pre-X Twitter’s Fleets, . But, the ephemeral format could save habitual post-deleters some trouble.
It comes a few months after Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared that Threads was . That optional feature would let users designate a date for their posts to be hidden from the feed. But Threads users in the past have indicated that they of automatic archiving, and such a feature hasn’t yet shown up on a wider scale. Threads at the beginning of August, and recently introduced an for users — particularly those with large followings — to keep track of their account’s performance. Meta also said the option to schedule posts is on the way.
Threads is inching closer to becoming an actually useful source for real-time news and updates. The app is finally rolling out the ability to search posts in order of recency, after the feature last month.
“In an effort to make it easier to find timely, relevant content on Threads, we’re introducing a Recent tab for your searches,” Instagram’s Adam Mosseri wrote in . “Search results here are still evaluated for quality, but you can now see them in chronological order.”
The change has been a long requested one from users hoping Meta’s app will one day be a source of breaking news and real-time information the way that Twitter historically functioned. Being able to search for topics and keywords and find the most recent results is key to finding up-to-date details and commentary about breaking news, sports and anything else happening in real time.
On the other hand, Meta has also made it clear that it would prefer “news” to not be what Threads is known for. Mosseri has said he doesn’t want to “encourage” hard news on Threads and the company actively political content. Threads’ default “for you” algorithm is also known for surfacing days-old posts, random personal stories and other content that’s not exactly timely.
It’s also worth pointing out that Threads’ new recency filter in search is not the same as the “latest” search filter on X. As Mosseri noted in his post, Meta still hides an unknown number of posts in search results that have been “evaluated for quality,” so Threads search will never surface all of the posts containing your search terms. But being able to at least find posts that aren’t a few days old should make looking for timely information a lot less frustrating.
This might come as a shock to you but the things people put on social media aren’t always truthful — really blew your mind there, right? Due to this, it can be challenging for people to know what’s real without context or expertise in a specific area. That’s part of why many platforms use a fact-checking team to keep an eye (often more so look like they’re keeping an eye) on what’s getting shared. Now, Threads is getting its own fact-checking program, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and de-facto person in charge at Threads, announced. He first shared the company’s plans to do so in December.
Mosseri stated that Threads “recently” made it so that Meta’s third-party fact-checkers could review and rate any inaccurate content on the platform. Before the shift, Meta was having fact-checks conducted on Facebook and Instagram and then matching “near-identical false content” that users shared on Threads. However, there’s no indication of exactly when the program started or if it’s global.
Then there’s the matter of seeing how effective it really can be. Facebook and Instagram already had these dedicated fact-checkers, yet misinformation has run rampant across the platforms. Ahead of the 2024 Presidential election — and as ongoing elections and conflicts happen worldwide — is it too much to ask for some hardcore fact-checking from social media companies?
Instagram head Adam Mosseri noted that the company “recently” rolled out the ability for fact-checkers to rate and mark false content on Threads. However, Mosseri didn’t share any details about when exactly the program was rolled out and if it was limited to certain geographies.
It is also not clear which organizations are Meta’s fact-check partners for Threads. We have asked the company for more details, and will update the story if we hear back.
The move seems to be largely targeting preparation for the upcoming U.S. elections. India is in the middle of its general elections as well, but it is unlikely that a social network rolls out a fact-checking program during an election cycle instead of commencing the project before it the elections.
“We currently match fact-check ratings from Facebook or Instagram to Threads, but our goal is for fact-checking partners to have the ability to review and rate misinformation on the app,” Mosseri had said in a post at that time.
Threads is giving users more control over who can quote their posts (as in, reposting with commentary). If you don’t want just anyone to be able to quote your posts, you now have the option to allow only people you follow to do so. Or, you can make it so no one can quote your posts at all. Head of Instagram announced the update this weekend, saying he hopes it will “help keep Threads a more positive place.” The platform tested the feature among a group of Threads users last month, but it’s now rolling out to everyone.
Threads, which , has been slowly adding more features to improve safety and the overall user experience, borrowing some tools from Instagram. Last month, it , so users can designate certain terms that they want to be filtered out of their feeds. Threads also recently started testing options for archiving posts, either manually or automatically after a chosen expiration date.
Meta is offering some creators thousands of dollars if they go viral on Threads. The payouts are part of a new invitation-only bonus program that rewards creators who use Meta’s newest app.
An Instagram support page offers some details about the bonus program, which Meta hasn’t formally announced. It states that creators can earn money “based on the performance of your Threads posts” or “the number of posts you create.” It appears that specific terms of the bonuses are individualized to each creator. “Details of the bonus program may vary by participant,” the company notes.
The program seems to be a small-scale effort for now — the company refers to it as being in “testing” — but it offers a preview of how Meta may look to ramp up its efforts to use creators to boost engagement on the service. Meta has previously offered bonuses for posting Reels on Facebook and Instagram, but it’s the first time the company has paid for posts on Threads. The Threads bonus program was first reported by Business Insider earlier this month.
Some creators are already being offered thousands of dollars for high-performing posts. According to one screenshot making the rounds on Threads, at least one creator was offered “up to $5,000” for Threads posts or replies with 10,000 views or more. That’s not nearly as high as the $10,000 bonuses Reels creators could once earn on Instagram, but is still quite generous considering posting on Threads requires far less effort than shooting and editing a compelling video.
Meta isn’t the only platform trying to lure creators with promises of potential payouts. X also offers creators direct payments based on their engagement, but that program is a revenue sharing arrangement for users who pay for premium subscriptions.
Threads has been growing steadily since its launch last year, and has more than 150 million monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg revealed last week. The Facebook founder has speculated that the app could one day be the company’s next billion-user platform, though it would likely take several years to reach that milestone. Either way, onboarding popular creators from Instagram would be an important step to boost engagement on Threads. The company also recently partnered with Taylor Swift’s team to get the pop star on the app to promote her latest album. Meta hasn’t shared what, if any, terms were associated with that arrangement, but the effort involved custom animations and other “Easter eggs” for Swift fans.
Have a tip about Meta’s bonus program for Threads? Contact the author at karissa.bell@engadget.com or message securely on Signal at +1 628.231.0063.
Meta’s Threads app now has more than 150 million monthly users, an increase of about 20 million new users since February. Mark Zuckerberg shared the latest user numbers during Meta’’s first-quarter earnings call, saying that the app “continues to be on the trajectory that I hope to see.”
The update suggests Threads is continuing to grow steadily, though at a slower rate than its initial explosive growth. The app racked up more than 100 million downloads in its first week, but later saw in engagement. But over the last six months, Threads has seen more consistent growth and Zuckerberg has speculated the service could eventually be Meta’s next app.
Notably, Threads seems to be out-performing X (formerly known as Twitter) by some metrics. Estimates from analytics firm Apptopia indicated Threads has more daily users in the United States than X, Business Insider earlier this week. (X has claimed daily users globally.) Threads also scored another significant win recently when joined the platform to promote her latest album.
Threads is, for now, unique among Meta’s apps in that it doesn’t have advertising so the company doesn’t make money from the app directly. That will likely change at some point provided Threads continues to expand its reach. Zuckerberg has previously said the company would “focus on monetization” only after the app has grown sufficiently.
Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China, following an order from the country’s internet watchdog, which cited national security concerns.Related video above: French government watchdog agency ordered Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the market (9/12/23)“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” an Apple spokesperson told CNN on Friday. “The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns. These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.”The apps, both owned by Meta, were already blocked in China and not widely used. They could be accessed in the country only by using virtual private networks (VPNs) that can encrypt internet traffic and disguise the user’s online identity.The removal of the apps by Apple represents a “further distancing between already separated tech universes” in the country and beyond, said Duncan Clark, the chairman of Beijing-based investment advisory BDA China.“It will cause inconvenience to consumers and businesses (in China) who deal with family, friends or customers overseas. Even if they use VPNs to access their existing WhatsApp apps, these over time will become obsolete and require updating,” he said.Other popular Western social media apps, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, are still available on Apple’s China app store, according to a check by CNN.The tech giant’s announcement comes against a backdrop of plunging iPhone sales in the world’s second-largest economy. Its smartphone sales tumbled a stunning 10% in the first quarter of this year, according to market research firm IDC.The company has lost momentum in China as nationalism, a rough economy and increased competition have hurt Apple over the past several months.The resurgence of Huawei and other Chinese brands, including Xiaomi and OPPO/OnePlus, will likely continue, according to IDC. Chinese consumers who once would have considered Apple are now turning to the country’s national brands.Besides being a key production center, China remains an important market for Apple as it is the largest market behind the United States. The company continues to offer discounts in the country to help boost sales.Its CEO, Tim Cook, visited Shanghai just last month to open the second-biggest Apple store in the world.Hassan Tayir contributed reporting.
Hong Kong (CNN) —
Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China, following an order from the country’s internet watchdog, which cited national security concerns.
Related video above: French government watchdog agency ordered Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the market (9/12/23)
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” an Apple spokesperson told CNN on Friday. “The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns. These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.”
The apps, both owned by Meta, were already blocked in China and not widely used. They could be accessed in the country only by using virtual private networks (VPNs) that can encrypt internet traffic and disguise the user’s online identity.
The removal of the apps by Apple represents a “further distancing between already separated tech universes” in the country and beyond, said Duncan Clark, the chairman of Beijing-based investment advisory BDA China.
“It will cause inconvenience to consumers and businesses (in China) who deal with family, friends or customers overseas. Even if they use VPNs to access their existing WhatsApp apps, these over time will become obsolete and require updating,” he said.
Other popular Western social media apps, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, are still available on Apple’s China app store, according to a check by CNN.
The tech giant’s announcement comes against a backdrop of plunging iPhone sales in the world’s second-largest economy. Its smartphone sales tumbled a stunning 10% in the first quarter of this year, according to market research firm IDC.
The company has lost momentum in China as nationalism, a rough economy and increased competition have hurt Apple over the past several months.
The resurgence of Huawei and other Chinese brands, including Xiaomi and OPPO/OnePlus, will likely continue, according to IDC. Chinese consumers who once would have considered Apple are now turning to the country’s national brands.
Besides being a key production center, China remains an important market for Apple as it is the largest market behind the United States. The company continues to offer discounts in the country to help boost sales.
Its CEO, Tim Cook, visited Shanghai just last month to open the second-biggest Apple store in the world.
