What you need to know
- Threads gains new features after the recent subscribers drop.
- They include sharing Threads posts to Instagram DMs and adding alt text to photos/videos.
- Users can now access all of their liked posts in a single section under settings.
Threads by Instagram saw a successful launch back in July. Though it came as a rival to X (formerly called Twitter), it lacked quite a few features, offering only a basic experience. Meta has been adding features regularly, like the recent most requested "Following" tab. This past week, Mark Zuckerberg announced some more features coming to the platform this week.
According to Zuckerberg's Threads post, users on Threads can now share a post directly to Instagram Direct Messages (DMs). Earlier, users could share a Thread post to Instagram Story, so this feature comes as a new addition to further enhance the experience between the two apps. Tapping the share button on Threads posts gives users a new option, "Send on Instagram."
Another exciting feature borrowed from X includes the ability to add custom alt-text for photos/videos posted on Threads. This ability to add short descriptions helps users who need help to visually understand an image.
Further, Zuckerberg shared that Threads users interested in mentioning someone else (meaning another Threads user) can now mention them by using a new mention button.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, additionally shared some of the other updates coming this week in a Threads post, along with the ones announced by Zuckerberg. Users who like Threads posts can now easily see them all in one place after the new update rolls out.
Mosseri says users can head over to their Threads' settings, look for "Your likes," and see all the Threads' posts they've liked. Additionally, users can tap followers on their profile, head to the following, and hit "Sort, " which allows users to sort the accounts they follow.
Mosseri further added that Threads will support rel=me links for other platforms like Mastodon. Users can share their Threads profile link on different platforms to verify their identity across platforms.
It's clear that Threads still has some catching up to do as the platform matures, and the addition of these new features follows reports that Threads lost half of its subscribers within a launch of one month. These new features and upcoming ones are likely part of Threads' user retention, which Zuckerberg reportedly discussed in a recent internal town hall meeting, according to Reuters.
