Meta has announced it will finally begin testing direct messages on Threads, claiming that it was a "top request" since the platform's big splash in July 2023. This has been a massive pain point for users.
For nearly a year, attempting to have a private conversation meant awkwardly fumbling over to a linked Instagram account, which for some people, completely killed the experience of actually using the app.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri acknowledged this, stating "we know how important messaging is" to the platform's mission. It makes sense; a social network without a private messaging feature feels incomplete, especially when it is trying to supplant X.
The initial test for this overdue feature is now rolling out to a limited number of people in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Argentina, with a wider release planned for later. For serious users and creators who hate having to send people to other apps like Instagram for DMs, this is fantastic news. For others, it's just one more inbox to check.
Users included in the test will spot a new envelope icon on the main navigation bar, located at the bottom on mobile and on the left-side menu on the desktop site. The company, in typical fashion, has not offered a concrete timeline on when everyone else gets access, only saying it will expand "soon".
In related news, Threads recently migrated its web presence from the old threads.net address to the much cleaner threads.com domain. That old domain was a leftover from the launch because Meta did not actually own the .com version, which was later scooped up. This change came alongside a cluster of other improvements to the web app, including a pop-up post composer that follows you as you scroll and provides easier access to your saved and liked posts.
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