Meta Launches Threads, a Text-Based App, in Over 100 Countries

Meta has launched its text-based app called Threads.

The new app was built by Meta’s Instagram team and offers a space to share posts that are up to 500 characters long and include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long, Meta said in a Wednesday (July 5) press release.

“Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas,” Meta said in the release. “Just like on Instagram, with Threads you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests — including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond.”

Threads was launched in more than 100 countries and in iOS and Android versions at Wednesday, according to the release. They are available from Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store.

Meta plans to make Threads compatible with the open social networking protocol ActivityPub, which would make the new app interoperable with Mastodon, WordPress and other apps that support the protocol, the release said.

In addition, Meta said in the release, “soon we’ll be adding a number of new features to help you continue to discover threads and creators you’re interested in, including improved recommendations in feed and a more robust search function that makes it easier to follow topics and trends in real time.”

Threads has not been launched in the European Union (EU) due to uncertainty surrounding the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and data privacy, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The news surrounding Threads’ uncertain future in the EU comes as Meta has been battling EU authorities over data privacy concerns. In May, the social media giant was slammed with a record-breaking $1.3 billion fine.

The launch of Threads comes weeks after reports that Meta was developing a text-based app, piloting it with celebrities and influencers and aiming to support the ActivityPub protocol.

While Mastodon, Bluesky, Truth Social and other startups have seen their user bases grow, none has yet established itself as a proper Twitter competitor, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.