Threads: A Twitter alternative from Meta

Instagram parent company Meta launched Threads on July 5, a purported text-based protection app. Users can log in and keep their usernames, followers and verification status using their Instagram credentials.

The new service appears to be competing with Twitter and is launching a day earlier in the Apple App Store. Initially, the app was scheduled to be released on July 6.

Threads looks similar to Twitter and allows users to post messages, as well as like, reply and retweet others' messages. Instagram users can instantly click to follow the same accounts on Threads, which can help users quickly build a large base of followers.

Meta has also introduced cheat codes on Instagram that allow people to sign up for early downloads to promote the release to its billions of users.

The launch is a direct challenge to Twitter, which has faced numerous controversies since Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion in 2022.

Elon Musk has been making changes to Twitter that have driven away advertisers and alienated some users. Musk's recent decision to restrict access to some non-paying members, limiting free accounts to 600 tweets a day, has sparked strong opposition.

The platform has reportedly been in place since January, but the launch of Threads comes on the heels of Elon Musk's announcement to limit the number of tweets read on Twitter each day.

With all the changes to Twitter, some social media users may be looking for alternatives, just like Mastodon or Bluesky.