Threads just rolled out its most requested feature; direct messaging. No more switching apps; you can now message people directly within the app. This global rollout began on Tuesday, along with a new visual element called highlighter.
Meta says the highlighter will bring attention to interesting perspectives and conversations, starting with Trending Topics.
Threads DMs offer core features at launch. Expect one-on-one chats, preset emoji reactions, the ability to report spam, and mute DMs, much like Instagram. Features such as group messaging, inbox filters, and more advanced message controls will arrive later.
As of now, you cannot block a follower or mutual from messaging you directly without also blocking them on Threads and, by extension, Instagram. Your ability to control who messages you depends on whether you follow that user.
DMs are available for users 18 and older in most markets where Threads is present, excluding Japan, Australia, the U.K., and the EU.
Adding DMs makes Threads more competitive with other text-first social apps like X and Bluesky, where users can engage directly or in group chats.
Threads does not plan to encrypt its private messaging, a contrast to X’s efforts toward encrypted direct messages within X Chat.
“We’re not encrypting our DMs,” said Emily Dalton Smith, Threads VP of Product. “It’s really about just connecting directly and talking to people about whatever is happening now, which I think makes encryption less core to the experience.”
Smith stated DMs aim to build on the community people have already fostered in Threads’ public spaces. This network, she points out, is shaping up to be distinct from its parent app, Instagram.
“One thing that’s been particularly exciting is that we have seen that people are building their own graphs on Threads,” she said. “They’re building up what we think of as an interest graph that is new and distinct from the social graph that underlies their account on Instagram.”
Despite building on Instagram’s social graph, over a third of daily Threads users have less than a 50% overlap between their Instagram and Threads connections, according to Meta.
“Instagram is really for creativity and Threads is really for perspectives,” Smith noted.
The company also found users follow different people and engage in different interests and conversations across the two platforms.
Because of this growing separation between the apps, Meta plans to test other ways for people to use Threads without an Instagram account.
For example, it is testing the ability for users to log in with their Facebook account in Europe or create a Threads-only account. It also tests using Threads from the web without any login.
The Threads creator community is also unique. While it includes popular creators from other platforms, some have become creators on Threads itself. David Rushing, a passionate fan who built the NBA Threads community, stands as an example.
Smith mentioned Threads wants to make it simpler for users to find communities like this, and others, considering it a key part of the app’s future roadmap.
Threads initially introduced tags, similar to hashtags without the symbol, to organise conversations. It then created topic feeds for viewing all discussions around a specific interest. Now, the focus shifts to identifying active and top contributors within communities.
Threads expects to show more suggested users to follow in search and recommendations over the next couple of months, Smith said.
The new highlight feature could also assist here.
Today, the feature highlights trending topics related to content you read in your For You feed. Over time, Threads could highlight perspectives from users or active conversations worth joining, including within various topic feeds.
There are no other plans to monetise Threads beyond ads, Smith confirmed. This holds even though Meta has an AI feature that could integrate into the experience, much like xAI’s AI chatbot, Grok, sells X Premium subscriptions.
Meta is focused on perfecting ads first, while using AI to power background elements, like headlines and summaries for trending topics.
This does not mean the team will rule out AI features later.
“We consider, probably, all ideas,” Smith said, “but we’re really just building on what our community tells us and trying to prioritise such a small and growing app.”
DMs saw testing earlier this month in markets like Hong Kong, Thailand, Argentina, and Brazil before their global launch.
Threads boasts 350 million monthly active users. This significantly surpasses newcomers like Bluesky, which has 37 million registered users. Compared to Meta’s other apps, with billions of users, Threads still has ground to cover with its corporate parent.