Meta to Launch Threads App on July 6 as Twitter Restricts Access to Users

Meta Platforms plans to launch a microblogging app, Threads, days after Twitter executive chair Elon Musk announced a temporary cap on how many posts users can read on the social media site.

Threads, Instagram's text-based conversation app, is expected to be released on Thursday and will allow users to follow the accounts they follow on the photo-sharing platform and keep the same username, a listing on Apple's App Store showed.

The launch comes after Twitter announced a slate of restrictions on the app, including the need to be verified in order to use TweetDeck.

Musk's latest announcements to address data scraping have sparked a fierce backlash from Twitter users and ad experts said it would undermine new CEO Linda Yaccarino, who started in the role last month.

Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on a similar launch on the Google Play Store.

Meanwhile, Twitter-like platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon saw a surge in users and activity soon after Musk announced the limits. Bluesky, launched by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and now in beta mode, said it saw "record high traffic" on Saturday and that it was temporarily pausing new sign-ups. Mastodon also saw its active user base swell by 110,000 on that day, its creator and CEO Eugen Rochko said.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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