If you enjoy using Instagram, but also enjoy chatting with friends, we’ve got some good news for you. Instagram just rolled out the new app called Threads. This goes beyond the Close Friends option on the original app. It’s its own entity, totally private, and totally fun and easy to use. Threads is a camera-first messaging app for chatting with the people in your inner circle.
Designed to be a companion app to Instagram, Threads looks quite similar to direct messages on Instagram. When you log in to the new app using the same account information for Instagram, it automatically downloads your Close Friends list. If you aren’t familiar with this concept, it’s a direct message between you and, well, your close friends. Think group chats, but sending Instagram posts instead. These are the only people who will show up in the Threads app, so if you don’t have a Close Friends group, this might not be the app for you.
Threads lets you make custom statuses so you can share information with your Close Friends. Threads even updates your friends on your whereabouts. If you’re worried about privacy, don’t. Instead of giving out specifics, Threads will pick up your movements and make it a status. For example, if it knows you’re at a restaurant, your status will reflect that and tell your friends you’re out to lunch.
“We wanted to focus on context, not coordinates. We’re not sharing the restaurant you’re at, but we want to provide that high-level context. Our community has told us that they want to communicate when they’re available to talk and when they’re not. They want to keep their friends up to date.” Sharon Zeng, the product manager leading Threads, had this to say about the app.
Do you want another photo sharing based app on your phone? As our ever-changing social media world updates itself once more, Threads just might be your new go-to for photos and fun with friends.
