Meta's Threads has finally arrived in Europe, more than five months after launching in the US, UK and other parts of the world. Following a countdown and a teaser invitation from Instagram, the app is now officially available on the block on the web, although the iOS and Android The apps are still not available for many.
Threads.net is now available on the web, although the mobile apps are still listed as unavailable for many (you may have to wait patiently). I was able to log in with my Instagram account, although Meta also offers access without creating a profile, although in that case you cannot post or interact with content. Once I agreed to use Instagram and chose my profile, it asked me if I was okay with it being public and if I wanted to follow the same people I do on Instagram. A few more clicks and I was in.
The delay was reportedly due to the EU's upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA) which will come into force in 2024. As one of the tech giant's seven “gatekeepers”, Meta wanted to ensure compliance with the DMA, particularly regarding the rules for sharing data between applications. In compliance with EU policies, the app also allows users to access the platform without creating a profile.
Threads launched on July 5 on mobile devices with a basic feature set and required users to log in with their Instagram accounts. It was much like Twitter (now X) when it launched, with support for text posts of up to 500 characters, along with photos and five-minute videos. It also supported reposting and quoting posts, while allowing users to limit their replies and block/report other users.
It's since added a web version, along with “followed” and “for you” feeds, the ability to submit Threads posts on Instagram, followlist ranking, liking posts on your profile page, and more. In short, it has become a strong rival to X, Bluesky and its other short-form social media apps.
Additionally, yesterday Meta began testing the ability to make Threads posts available on Mastodon and other popular apps. That support for the decentralized “ActivityPub” service and the ability to cross-publish to other apps was a key promise Meta made when it introduced Threads.
The rise of the threads came with the sharp fall of Elon Musk's X, now seen as more polarized than ever. Among many other dramas, the platform recently lost several key advertisers after Musk pushed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. In response to that, Musk sent a new message to advertisers who are leaving the platform: “Fuck you.”
However, Threads is still in a precarious situation. It was an instant hit, surpassing the 100 million sign-ups mark just five days after launch and counted 141 million users starting Nov. 10, according to research firm Quiver Quantitative. However, engagement is another issue: the number of daily active users has fluctuated and dropped sharply a year later. about a month after launch. However, it should get a big boost now that it's in Europe, and Meta easily has the power (and money) to make it work and crush both established and potential rivals.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-finally-launches-in-europe-110747780.html?src=rss
