Instagram Threads: Facebook's latest attempt to clone Snapchat

"Facebook is pushing deeper into direct messaging with a new Instagram companion app called Threads"

Facebook Inc, on Thursday, announced the launch of Threads. A messaging app for Instagram users

The app will be available both for iPhone and Android.

What Is It?

"Threads" is a camera-focused app that allows Instagram users to share their status or instantly send photos and videos to people they’ve added to their list of close friends.

Through this new app, users can upload status, share location and battery status with their close friends on Instagram, the social media company said in a blog here post.

Facebook has been focusing on Instagram, its fastest-growing revenue generator, as its core platform has been under scrutiny from regulators regarding privacy and the spread of misinformation or fake news.

Users can also enable “auto-status” feature, which would automatically update their battery life and status based on the current location, the company said, adding that the feature is an opt-in. Precise location information collected for auto status will be specific to Threads and will not be used for ads, Facebook said.

One of the few unique features included in Threads is the ability to select friends and set their profile photo as a camera shutter button so that they can send photos and videos to that person in just a couple of taps.

“For your smaller circle of friends, we saw the need to stay more connected throughout the day, so you can communicate what you’re doing and how you’re feeling through photos and videos,” the company said in a blog post. “That’s why we built Threads, a new way to message with close friends in a dedicated, private space.”

The app borrows several elements from Facebook's competitor Snap, whose Snapchat app focuses usage on sending photos and videos through private messages. "Threads" was first reported by The Verge in August. Snap shares fell in reaction to Facebook’s announcement on Thursday afternoon. They were down as much as 7%. 

This isn’t the first time Facebook has launched a Snapchat clone or a spinoff Instagram messaging app.

In 2012, Facebook launched an app called Poke that mimicked Snapchat, and it did it again in 2014 with an app called Slingshot. Neither app took off. Facebook tried once again in 2017 with Direct, a spinoff Instagram app focused on messaging that the company announced plans in May to shut it down.

sources: 

https://www.cnbc.com 

https://www.reuters.com