Meta's Twitter rival Threads arrives on App Store, launching this week

The social media giant Meta may have landed on the right timing to launch its Twitter-like app called Threads, which was expected to arrive later this month. The app which has been known by its codename "Project 92" or "Barcelona" is now available for pre-order on the iPhone App Store.

Threads is a text-based conversation app that the company designed as a spinoff of Instagram. A previous report from marketing expert Lia Haberman suggested that people will be able to use the app with their existing Instagram accounts. They won't need a separate account and the app will carry over the list of accounts blocked on the main Instagram app as well.

The social media app is expected to launch on July 6 according to its official listing on the App Store. Describing the purpose of Threads, the app's description reads:

Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.

The Meta-owned microblogging app also has a website featuring a colorful animated countdown which was discovered by 9to5Google. As per the countdown, the Threads app will launch at 7 am PT on July 6. In addition, the Threads website offers a link or QR code leading to its App Store page when opened on an iPhone or a computer. Meanwhile, it says "Coming Soon for Android" when the website is accessed using an Android device.

Instagram has also added an easter egg to its app where you get a personalized invitation for the Threads launch. It displays an invitation card with your username and the launch time of the app in your local time zone.

To see the invite, open the Instagram app > Explore tab. Then, type "thread" or "threads" in the search bar, and an icon will appear on the right-hand side. You can also use other keywords such as "saymore," "P92," or "1992."

Twitter's co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged the app while criticizing Threads for its data collection practices. Dorsey is among the board members of the rival app Blueksky which saw a surge in signups after Twitter's recent restrictions.

Meta's Twitter alternative has arrived at a time when Twitter is busy limiting its access and features citing various reasons. The microblogging platform recently imposed a rate limit on the number of Tweets its users can view per day to address "extreme levels of data scrapping & system manipulation."

Twitter now requires a mandatory login to view any content on its website. The move labeled as a "temporary emergency measure" by Elon Musk was implemented to prevent the pillaging of Twitter's data.

Source: NY Times