Meta’s Threads App to Launch Web Version as Rivalry With X Enters New Stage

livemint.com:

Meta Platforms plans to launch a web version of microblogging app Threads early this week, the biggest new feature to be introduced on its competitor to Elon Musk’s X. The desktop version would address one of the biggest of a long wish list of features users have sought for Threads. The text-first social-media app appeared on track to be a smash hit out of the gate when Meta launched a bare-bones version in early July, but use of it has plunged in recent weeks.

Users have been able to see specific Threads posts on the web but their access is limited, as the app is mostly geared for mobile phones. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said on Friday on his Instagram profile, that the web version of Threads would be launching soon and is already being tested internally at Meta. People familiar with Meta’s plans said it will launch early this week, although the launch plans aren’t final and could change.

“It’s a little bit buggy right now, you don’t want it just yet," Mosseri said. “As soon as it is ready we will share it with everybody else." Meta rushed to launch Threads to take advantage of the growing interest for an alternative to X, formerly known as Twitter. Threads became the fastest app to reach 100 million downloads, hitting the mark in five days.

Despite the early success, the usage of the app quickly fell off, with many users citing notable missing features, including a full web version of the service. Meta has rolled out a handful of other new features in recent weeks, including the ability to set post notifications for accounts and view posts in a type of chronological feed. Threads on Thursday began showing labels for state-controlled media outlets, about three weeks after The Wall Street Journal reported that