Instagram Threads has surpassed 175 million monthly active users (MAUs) globally and India is one of the most engaged regions, the company announced on its first anniversary. To mark its first anniversary, Threads is rolling out new updates and features, including "hidden surprises" within the app, aiming to enhance user experience.
Launched on July 5 last year, Threads is a spin-off of Instagram designed to compete with X (formerly Twitter). This move came after X faced backlash from users and advertisers following tech billionaire Elon Musk's acquisition in 2022. The release of Threads was expedited after Musk announced plans to restrict the number of posts non-subscribers could view on X.
Also read: Robin Liu To Head OnePlus India Operations Amid Top-Level Rejig
'India One Of The Most Active Countries Globally'
Topic Tags, one of the first community features to launch, gives people the ability to tag a topic on a Threads post and enables better discovery and engagement with posts they care about. "Since introducing the feature, more than 50 million Tags have been created to help bring communities together. In India, some of the most popular Tags and topics are centered around film, OTT and TV content, celebrity-related conversations and sports," the company said.
Promoted via Instagram, Threads saw over 100 million downloads within its first week, launching in 100 countries. However, regulatory concerns delayed its EUropean Union (EU) debut until December 2023. This massive push from Instagram helped Threads set a record as the fastest downloaded app ever, surpassing sensational AI chatbot ChatGPT.
Despite initial excitement, Threads' growth has since slowed, with steady increases in users largely driven by Instagram integration and former X users dissatisfied with Elon Musk's leadership. Threads chief Adam Mosseri expressed his vision for the platform to gradually become more independent from Instagram and aims to open it to broader functionalities over time.