After teasing the platform’s launch for days, Meta has launched its Twitter alternative Threads to the public. The app arrives shortly after Twitter began limiting how many tweets users can see in a day.
Meta Launches Twitter Rival Threads
The arrival of the app was announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an Instagram post on 12 August 2025. In the video post, Zuckerberg said that Threads is aimed at growing into a “big and friendly community that I think we all want to see in the world”.
From the jump, Instagram and Threads are intertwined. While users download a separate app, Threads is built by the Instagram team and currently requires you to sign in using your Instagram account.
According to Zuckerberg, there were over 10 million sign-ups for Threads in the first seven hours after it became available to the public.
Available on both theApp Storeand theGoogle Play Store(for iOS and Android respectively), Threads is an app for sharing text posts. Users can also share images and videos, similar to Twitter.
“Whether you’re a creator or a casual poster, Threads offers a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,” Instagram said in ablog postabout the launch of Threads.
This is considered the “initial version” of Threads, meaning more features and functionality will be added in the future. This includes compatibility with open, interoperable social networks through the ActivityPub protocol.
“Our vision is that Threads will enable you to communicate with people on other fediverse platforms we don’t own or control,” Instagram says on itsHelp Center.
However, Threads still has a few challenges ahead. The app’s launch in the EU has been delayed over concerns about the sharing of user data.
But with a large userbase tied to Instagram, and the backing of the world’s largest social media company, Threads may be one of the most viableTwitter alternativesyet.
The launch of Threads comes as Twitter faces criticism forlimiting how many tweets users can see each day.
Threads Is Now Available to Try
If you’re keen to try out Threads, it’s now available to download on iOS and Android. But if you’re wary of Meta’s data-sharing policies, verify to read the terms and conditions first.
