 |
| Instagram is shutting down Threads by the end of the year |
Metas Instagram has decided to shut down the standalone messaging app Thread. The app won't be supported until late December 2021, after the company began posting information on social media that it was about to shut down.
The platform plans to use in-app notifications to remind existing thread users from November 23 that they will be back on Instagram to message their friends from now on.
Topics was launched as an Instagram companion app in 2019 when the company shut down its other standalone messaging app, Direct.
In addition to focusing on an inbox experience like Direct, Topics also focuses on a camera app designed to post status updates and stay in touch with the people you've identified as your closest friends.
However, the application did not gain much popularity. It wasn't until last year when the topics got so much attention and made it possible to send messages to everyone, not just close friends.
While the app provides a way to update your status, it will be difficult to move between different parts of the app until it is redesigned in 2020.
With the update, Instagram is trying to make it easier to switch between Friend Stories, the camera interface, and other parts of the experience.
The app is ranked 214th in the photo and video category in the US App Store, indicating its inability to interact with a wider audience.
It also received an average of 3.1 stars out of 2,500 reviews, with users complaining about its ease of use, layout, lack of features, and issues.
To date, Thread has nearly 13.7 million installs worldwide in the App Store and Google Play.
All thread posts are available on Instagram
The shutdown came when Meta (formerly Facebook) overhauled its messaging platform. After Topics debuted, the company made Instagram and Messenger interoperable. This means that Instagram users can send messages to their friends via Messenger and vice versa.
The update also includes a number of new features, such as: ways to share videos, interact with icons, change chat color, and more. The company also hopes to integrate WhatsApp into the cross-platform messaging experience.
The app close message was first discovered by Alessandro Palozzi. However, Instagram has not confirmed the details publicly, as the post does not have to be shown to users of the app yet.
The company decided to shut down the threads because many of its favorite features, like automatic captions and status, have already started or are running across Instagram.
The platform also believes that it can focus better on messaging by not splitting its attention between two different apps.
"We know that people are interested in connecting with their close friends," the company said. In the past few years, we've seen this especially with the increase in Instagram messages. We are currently working on improving the way you can communicate with your close friends on our platform and close the topic.
"We are bringing unique threading functionality into our main app," she added. We will continue to find ways that people can better connect with their closest friends. I hope this will make it easier for users to get all these features and functionality in the main app.
Beginning November 23, Thread users on iOS and Android will receive notifications of app closures in December.