Meta’s newly launched app, Threads, has already amassed 50 million users within just 24 hours of its debut on Thursday. This text-focused microblogging platform is integrated with Meta’s widely used Instagram service. While the rapid growth of Threads is noteworthy, it’s important to consider that Meta is leveraging its extensive base of over 2.35 billion active Instagram users to drive sign-ups for Threads. In the meantime, Twitter has begun to react, with its new CEO addressing the situation and the platform hinting at potential legal action against Meta.
According to a post by Technology News’s Alex Heath on Threads, the app gained over 48 million user registrations shortly after launch, based on internal metrics from Meta. Another user, Joe Scannell, contributed a screenshot confirming that registrations had surpassed 50 million. Meta is actively encouraging sign-ups by displaying a serial number on users’ Instagram profiles that indicates when they joined Threads.
While Threads became available on both the App Store and Google Play on Thursday, it is not yet accessible in every country. The absence of a rollout in the EU is likely due to strict privacy regulations in that region.
The app has quickly risen to prominence within app stores across various nations. For example, in India, Threads has topped the list of free apps on iOS, following closely behind WhatsApp and Instagram. Notably, Threads has even reached the fifth spot on the App Store in China, despite Meta’s other apps being blocked in the country, indicating that Threads may face similar restrictions in the future.
As of Thursday, threads on the app had produced over 95 million posts and accumulated a staggering 190 million likes, according to reports by Technology News. This surge has prompted Twitter to express concerns, with reports indicating that the platform has sent a formal legal notice to Meta, penned by Twitter’s attorney Alex Spirt.
On the same day, Twitter’s CEO Linda Yaccarino took to Twitter to comment on Threads’ swift success. She emphasized the uniqueness of the Twitter community, stating that it is “irreplaceable” and that, despite imitations, the platform’s user base cannot be replicated.
As Threads continues to grow, users may notice that the app currently lacks several features that are common on other platforms, such as the ability to scroll through a chronological feed or send direct messages. Additionally, guidelines indicate that users cannot delete their Threads accounts unless they also delete their associated Instagram accounts, highlighting the tight integration between the two services.
