Meta Platforms
is set to launch a web version of its Threads app this week as the tech giant steps up its battle against Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter.
Meta
(ticker: META) plans to go live with a desktop version, a popular request among users, early this week, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Threads shot out of the blocks when it launched last month, reaching more than 100 million users in just five days. But usage has declined since—time spent on the microblogging app has fallen 85% more than a month after the launch, according to data from analytics firm SimilarWeb.
A web version could be a way to lure back users. It will also make it easier to share posts on Threads and therefore get more eyes on the platform.
Meta did not immediately respond to a Barron’s request for comment early Monday.
The company has been using an early web version internally “for a week or two,” head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said in a post last week. “Still needs some work before we can open it up to everyone though…,” he added.
He also announced new updates, including the ability to share threads in Instagram direct messages, and sort accounts that users follow and see all the posts users have liked.
Shortly after its launch in early July, Mosseri said “tons of basics” were missing from Threads, but his team was working on introducing new features and changes.
It may need more than a new web version to bring back users and mount a significant challenge to X, though.
Write to Callum Keown at [email protected]
Read the full article here
