Meta, under the leadership of Mark Zuckerberg, recently launched Threads, a new text-based app that sets itself apart from Instagram‘s core focus on photo-sharing. Threads allow users to share text updates and actively engage in public conversations, positioning itself as a potential rival to Twitter. Since its launch, the app has witnessed remarkable popularity, with over 10 million sign-ups within the first 7 hours, according to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram.

How to join the Threads app

1. To get started, visit the App Store or Play Store and download the Threads app on your device.
2. Upon opening the app, you will be greeted by the login screen. Tap the “Log in with Instagram” button. For individuals with multiple Instagram accounts, simply tap “Switch account” to proceed with the desired one.
3. Once logged in, the Threads app provides the convenience of importing your information directly from Instagram. However, you can also choose to enter different information manually. Upon completion, tap “Next” to proceed.
4. In the next step, you’ll be prompted to select between a Public profile or a Private profile. Make your desired selection and tap “Next.” Users under the age of 16 (or 18 in specific countries) will automatically have a private profile upon joining Threads.
5. Threads app presents you with a list of individuals you currently follow on Instagram. Here, you have three options: you can tap the “Follow all” button to follow all Instagram connections on Threads, select the “Follow” button beside individual names to selectively follow certain individuals, or simply skip this step by tapping the “Next” button in the upper-right corner.
6. Finally, tap “Join Threads” to finalize the login process and gain full access to the app’s features.

Once you have successfully logged in, you can begin creating threads on the app. Threads function as a text-based platform, similar to Twitter. However, instead of “tweets,” Threads employ the term “Threads,” while “repost” replaces “retweets.” Nevertheless, the “like” and “share” feature remains consistent across both platforms.

To share a new thread on the Instagram Threads app, simply click on the “New Thread” button and post it on your profile.

One significant advantage Threads offers over Twitter is an increased character limit. Threads app allows users to submit threads with up to 500 characters, surpassing Twitter’s character restrictions. Twitter’s non-Blue subscribers have a character limit of 280 words, which extends to 10,000 for paid users.

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In addition to longer character limits, Threads also offers a more generous video duration allowance. Users can attach videos up to 5 minutes long, whereas Twitter has a standard time limit of 2 minutes and 20 seconds for all users, with Twitter Blue subscribers having the option to post videos up to 2 hours long.