Screenshot from the App Store.
Meta will launch its Twitter rival app, Threads, on Thursday.
The new app is currently available to pre-order on Apple’s App Store and is set to go live on 6 July, according to the listing.
With Twitter lurching from one erratic decision to the next, Meta is hoping it can provide a compelling alternative to those seeking a life raft to a similar platform.
Threads is being promoted as a “text-based conversation app”.
It basically looks like a clone of Twitter, with a similar set of features.
A series of screenshots on the App Store listing shows screens where users can follow accounts, publish posts, and like, share and comment on them.
The app will also be linked to Instagram, rather than Facebook.
With Meta trying to muscle in Twitter’s turf, the launch is likely to rankle Elon Musk.
In a sarcastic tweet directed at Mark Zuckerberg, Musk said on Tuesday: “Thank goodness they’re so sanely run.”
Twitter has had its own well-documented problems in recent days after introducing read limits for posts.
Threads could offer a compelling and stable alternative for those looking for a Twitter-like experience without the chaotic decision-making that has characterised Musk’s reign.
It’s not the first to position itself as a successor to Twitter, though.
Mastodon attracted a wave of new users last year but its unique, decentralised approach to communities has proved to be a steep learning curve for some.
Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky is also set to launch officially in the near future.
Threads could yet prove to be the biggest threat to Twitter, though, as Meta has the resources at its disposal to make it a success.
