Meta has announced that new features are coming to its apparent X competitor, Threads, including a search function and web access.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the upcoming features in a Threads post on Friday afternoon, stating they will be “coming in the next few weeks.”
The announcement follows Threads’ introduction in July, when the app quickly rose in popularity as Zuckerberg capitalized on issues plaguing Twitter (now known as X). However, engagement on Threads has waned over the past weeks, with users expressing dissatisfaction with the app’s limited functionality.
Sensor Tower data shows the daily active users for Threads have plunged 82% since launch.
For Threads to gain prominence as a vital service, advertisers and creators emphasized the necessity of features that allow easy searches for trending topics and retrieval of previous posts. Web access also emerged as a critical requirement if Meta intends to truly rival X, known for its desktop popularity among working professionals, reports CNBC.
Zuckerberg’s statement comes a week after he expressed optimism regarding Threads’ future during Meta’s earnings call. He noted that the app was developed by a small team and said that monetization would be considered once the platform is more substantial and well-established.
“A good week for Threads,” Zuckerberg wrote, referring to the upcoming features. “The community here is on the trajectory I expect to build a vibrant long-term app.”
Threads surged in popularity because it’s tied to an existing Instagram user’s login. With just a few taps, they can start using Threads and follow the same people. But in order to delete your Threads account? You’ll need to delete your Instagram, which is pretty dumb (how’s that for locking you in?).
Zuckerberg said last month that once Threads reaches 1 billion users, it will start monetizing the app.
