Facebook is Launching a Messaging App for Instagram Called ‘Threads’

• Instagram “Close Friends” will get a dedicated communication app focused on photography.
• The app will be able to track the users’ location and status, and then let their friends know about it.
• The same conditions and policies as with Instagram will apply, and parental controls are still present.

Facebook is launching a new camera-first messaging app for Instagram, called “Threads”. This new tool is aimed at keeping friends closely connected, introducing a new way of personal interaction for the popular social media platform. While Instagram made leaps and bounds with “Stories” and “Direct”, there was still a gap in interacting with a small circle of very close friends. This also means that the messaging app will be a private communication space where people can share photos, videos, and text messages, without worrying about who else may potentially access this media.

Source: newsroom.fb.com

The concept of “Close Friends” has already been established since last year, so with Threads, people are enabled to communicate with those who they have selected. Still, Threads will allow further picking who gets to see what, and they will get notifications once you add them to your list. If you haven’t set up a Close Friends list, Threads will prompt you to do it when you download and install the standalone application on your device. Once you’re done with this step, Threads launches the camera right away, and you may grab a snippet of what you’re doing and then add a comment if you like.

Threads will also have a “Status” section where users may pick a condition to let their close friends know what they’re doing. For example, there’s an “on the move” status, “at the gym” status, and even a “low battery” setting. Users may turn the status on and off at any time they wish. However, there’s also an “auto-status” setting that allows the app to use the device’s location, movement sensors, network connection, and battery level to figure out where you are and what you’re doing. Facebook clarifies that this is entirely optional, and will request the user’s agreement to this extensive tracking.

Source: newsroom.fb.com

Finally, no matter the fact that Threads is a private communication app, the Instagram Community Guidelines still apply to it. This means that users may still report a message that apparently violates these guidelines, and do so anonymously without risking their relation with a close friend. Also, the same parental controls that underpin Instagram are present on Threads too, so as to help parents keep underage users safe.

Are you planning to use Threads, or is this an app that you don’t have a use for? Let us know in the comments section down below, or on our socials, on Facebook and Twitter.