Instagram ready to shut down its companion app Threads

Threads is a standalone messaging app by Instagram which is all set to be shut down by December 2021. The app will no longer have support and the company has already started informing its users through in-app messages. The reports about its closure had already started rolling out on social media. Instagram starting sending notices to the users starting from November 23, 2021. The message has asked the Threads users to return to Instagram to message their friends.

Threads was launched in 2019 as a companion app to Instagram after it had shut down its another standalone messaging app known as Direct. The app was first made as a camera-first mobile messenger that was specifically designed for posting status updates. It also helped to stay in touch with people who were considered as close friends on Instagram. But even then, the app never got the mainstream recognition. But even then Threads received some attention when it received an improvement in 2020 and allowed users to message everyone and not just close friends.

The app was useful in a number of ways like it offered to update status or automatically update it based on the location but still the users found it difficult to navigate in-app until the 2020 redesign. The new update allowed the users to switch between friend’s Stories, the camera interface and other parts. But even then the app did not function as it was expected to and did not even attract any significant attention from the users.

In the photo and video category, the app ranks no. 214 on the US app store that indicated of its constant failure to catch up with a broader audience. It has been rated 3.1 stars and has got 2,500 reviews with the users complaining about its usability, missing features and layout. Globally it has seen 13.7 million global installs from the App Store and Google PlayStore.

Photo Credits: Techcrunch