Starting today, Instagram Threads will begin rolling out one of its most requested features: the ability to utilize the service while logged in via the web app. Threads users will be able to post, check their feed, and interact with posts from the desktop web app, according to the business, but the experience will not be fully compatible with the Threads mobile app just yet.
Web users, for example, will be unable to change their profile or post a thread to Instagram DMs (direct messages). The latter was another recently launched feature designed to entice more Instagram users to try Threads as the app’s engagement fell after a buzzy launch.
The Threads team is working on adding more features to bring the web app up to speed with the mobile app in the coming weeks, we’ve been told.
Despite its flaws, the ability to use Threads from the web could be a game changer for those still trying to transition from Twitter/X. Outside of a reverse chronological Following feed, which Threads delivered in July, web support has been among users’ top requests since day one.
Threads app and website continue to lack post-search capabilities
Like many of Threads users’ requests, the firm promised web support was on the way, but did not specify when it would happen. However, there were clues that the web version was nearing completion, as Instagram president Adam Mosseri suggested last week, “We’re close on the web,” in response to a user request for a way to post from the desktop. To add fuel to the fire, The Wall Street Journal said on Monday that web support would be available this week.
Mosseri stated that the Instagram Threads team had been testing an internal version of the web version for a couple of weeks before to debut. However, end consumers could only explore Threads on the web by visiting a specific user’s page, such as threads.net/@techcrunch. You could view messages and responses but not participate in the conversation. This made it impossible for desktop users to participate, and many Threads early adopters likely returned to Twitter/X.
However, even a web version of Threads is insufficient to completely compete with Twitter (which has since rebranded itself X), because both the Threads app and website continue to lack post-search capabilities. Today, you can only search for users — not the content of their posts or even hashtags.
Threads web app: A unique take on Twitter, but lacks real-time news appeal
This makes the product less appealing for tracking news and trends, which is what first made Twitter a worldwide conversation engine. Twitter’s timeline is more than simply a feed of updates; it’s a means to monitor which topics are trending and what news is breaking. Threads is enjoyable to peruse through without search and trends, especially with its gorgeous panoramic pictures, but it lacks the sensation of a real-time news network, as Twitter/X still does.
Of course, this could change in the future, as Mosseri has stated that post search is also on Threads’ roadmap. The fact that the search button is prominent in Threads’ desktop experience is a good indication, but unfortunately, during testing, it led us to a dead end — the page “isn’t available,” an error message read. Threads are very much a work in progress.
Because the pre-launch version of the Threads web app was not a completely functional client, we were unable to test some of its functions, including not only searching but also reading our feeds. However, posting a reply to a user’s topic triggered a window that just displayed the original post and a space for you to make your reply. This took away the sense that you were participating in a bigger conversation. However, we liked that you could choose between a light and dark theme from the right-hand menu.