Threads app update includes several improvements to Meta's Twitter rival
New features will please existing Threads users, but will it stop the decline?
Meta’s Threads app has received its first big update since launch, bringing several improvements to Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter rival.
As outlined in a post by Cameron Roth, a software engineer working on the iOS Threads app, a slew of new features should be available to all users today.
Some of the new features include translations, allowing you to follow users from different countries, a new ‘follows tab’ on the activity feed, the ability to subscribe to unfollowed users and activity feed scrolling. The update also includes bug fixes and addresses some crash issues that a small percentage of users may have experienced.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Threads app update
👍 Threads has received its first major update since it launched
🆕 It now includes a translate feature, a follows tab, and the ability to subscribe to users you don’t follow
🐞 The update also includes some bug and crash fixes
📉 Meta’s Threads update comes as the daily active user count has fallen dramatically
Meta will be hoping the new update will attract lapsed users, as Threads’ user count has fallen dramatically. The app has also introduced rate limits, just like Twitter had to roll out to the chagrin of its users.
A quick look at Google Trends shows the dramatic drop off in interest in Threads since it launched on July 6. Meta now has the difficult task of retaining users and not just attracting new ones.
Mark Zuckerberg took to Threads to dismiss fears that the app isn’t performing and said: “I’m very optimistic about how the Threads community is coming together. Early growth was off the charts, but more importantly, 10s of millions of people now come back daily.
“That’s way ahead of what we expected. The focus for the rest of the year is improving the basics and retention. It’ll take time to stabilize, but once we nail that then we’ll focus on growing the community. We’ve run this playbook many times 9FB, IG, Stories, Reels, etc) and I’m confident Threads is on a good path too.”
If you are tempted to sign up for Threads, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself in for. Don’t sign up to Meta’s Threads before reading this.