Instagram’s highly anticipated Twitter rival is expected to launch Thursday, according to a listing on Apple’s App Store.
The app, called Threads, will function similarly to Twitter, with text-based posts that can be liked, commented on and shared, according to examples of screenshots on the App Store listing. People will be able to follow the accounts they follow on Instagram and keep their same user name. Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms, declined to comment.
With the launch, Meta is seeking to take advantage Twitter’s problems since the social media service was taken over last year by Elon Musk. Among the issues that have angered users — and spurred some to seek alternative platforms — are Twitter’s loosening content moderation policies, as well as requiring a monthly subscription fee to be labeled as an authentic account. There are also problems with site reliability. On Saturday, Twitter began temporarily limiting the number of posts users can see.