Since Threads launched on July 6, Meta has been putting out a series of updates to both its Android and iOS apps.
Unfortunately, what these updates actually do hasn’t been quite clear. The version history on the App Store lists updates 291, 292.0 and 292.1 as all providing “bug fixes and performance improvements”, which makes yesterday’s release — 293 — intriguing.
“You asked, we answered,” the update text reads. “New features coming, so keep an eye out as you browse the latest version of the app.”
It’s not really clear that Meta has answered, though. There are no obvious new features in the latest build, and it appears this might just be the new placeholder text for the version history page. After all, if a big feature request had been delivered, you’d imagine Meta would make a song and dance about it.
The good news, however, is we have a general idea of what features are on Meta’s long-term roadmap for Threads as it looks to formally replace Twitter as the text-based social media app of choice.
That’s because Threads and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has been responding to feature requests from users on the app, so we have a good idea of what’s coming, even if we don’t know the priority.
A following tab — where you only see content you’ve opted into, rather than Meta’s idea of what you might like — seems imminent, however. In a short clip posted by Mosseri, you can clearly see a “Following” tab is his version of the app, which isn’t present on the regular one.
Beyond that, Forbes’ Paul Tassi has been diligently following Mosseri’s responses to feature requests and has spotted nine other features that he has confirmed are in the works.
Two of them relate to discovery. Hashtags and a proper search function are both on the way, which should let users find interesting people to follow that bit more easily. At the moment, there is a search function, but it only looks for people, not what they’re writing about.
There are also planned updates to how people post. Editable posts — something that was requested for years on Twitter before it became a paid feature under Musk — will apparently be part of Threads soon, as will the ability to limit who can reply to your posts (“sounds easy enough”, Mosseri said).
A desktop version should follow at some point too. Technically this already exists, but it’s read-only, and operates as a gateway to downloading the app if you want to join conversations. For those who prefer typing on a keyboard or want to multitask while working, this could be key.
Other improvements on the way include translation tools, multiple account switching and the ability to embed Instagram posts more easily. While Tassi lists direct messages in his list, this doesn’t sound like a priority, as Mosseri stated that he didn’t want to “add another inbox” for people.
With Threads usage dipping, Meta and Mosseri will be hoping to roll out these and other enhancements as quickly as possible, to ensure that the initial impressive momentum isn’t lost. But with Elon Musk continuing to make baffling decisions at Twitter, the company may have plenty more opportunities to capitalise in the weeks and months ahead.
