Meta’s new social media app Threads is looking to tempt some of those disillusioned with Twitter and pull in new users from Instagram – but the sentiment among early adopters on launch day was mixed.
Meta has launched what some are calling its “Twitter killer” app – Threads – with Mark Zuckerberg saying more than 30 million signed up in the first day.
Twitter has reportedly threatened to sue over “intellectual property rights” – with Elon Musk suggesting Meta has “cheated”.
And while many are excited about a new challenge to his firm, others are not so impressed and say vital functions are missing.
Here’s what users are saying needs changing.
The feed is frustrating
The home feed includes posts from people you don’t follow, but who Threads reckons you might be interested in. And you can’t filter these out.
Early adopters say the algorithm makes it hard to see the content they actually subscribe to and care about most.
“I’ve followed like 30 people and none of their post have showed up yet on my feed,” wrote jimmyjxmes on Reddit.
However, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri – replying to tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee – said a feed just showing people you follow is “on the list”.
Threads also doesn’t allow you to order posts to show most recent at the top, the way most people scroll through Twitter.
No keyword search – and no hashtags
You can’t search by specific topics eg. ‘space’ or ‘motorcycles’ – and hashtag fanatics will be #disappointed as so far they aren’t supported.
Search currently only comes back with potential accounts to follow, rather than individual posts.