![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/threads-instagram-launches-app-to-rival-twitter/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/130301889_2.flowscreens-english.png&description=Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has said that the company's newly-launched Threads app aims to outrival Twitter. Experts say Threads could attract Twitter users unhappy with recent changes to the platform. Threads - which is not launching in the European Union for now - allows users to post up to 500 characters, and has many features similar to Twitter. In a post, Mr Zuckerberg said that keeping the platform "friendly... will ultimately be the key to its success". But Twitter chief Elon Musk responded: "It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram." When asked on Threads whether the app will be "bigger than Twitter", Mr Zuckerberg said : "It'll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. "Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will." Competitors have criticised the amount of data the app might use. This may include health, financial, and browsing data linked to users' identities, according to the Apple App Store. Threads is now available to download in over 100 countries including the UK, but not yet in the EU because of regulatory concerns. The app passed two million sign-ups in its first two hours, Mr Zuckerberg has said. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, called the new app an "initial version", with extra features planned including the ability to interact with people on other social media apps like Mastodon. "Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text," the firm said prior to its launch. Despite Threads being a standalone app, users log in using an Instagram account. Their Instagram username carries over, but there is an option to customize their profile specifically for Threads. Users will also be able to choose to follow the same accounts they do on Instagram, Meta says. The app allows users to be private on Instagram, but public on Threads){kind=link}
Thirty million users have signed up for Meta’s newly launched Threads app on its first day, the company’s chief Mark Zuckerberg says.
He pitched the app as a “friendly” rival to Twitter, which was bought by Elon Musk in October.
Experts say Threads could attract Twitter users unhappy with recent changes to the platform.
But Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said though Twitter is “often imitated”, its community can “never be duplicated”.
Threads allows users to post up to 500 characters, and has many features similar to Twitter.