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This week, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is expected to launch a new application that will enable users to “share ideas and trends with text,” presenting competition to Elon Musk-owned micro-blogging platform Twitter.

Dubbed “Threads, an Instagram app”, the text-based conversation application is slated to be released on July 6 at 7:30 pm in India. The app is listed on both Apple App Store (only for iPhone) and Google Play Store.

Here is a brief description of the app provided on the platforms:

“Say more with Threads — Instagram’s text-based conversation app.”

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things—or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”

Screenshots from the app’s interface reveal various functionalities, demonstrating users’ ability to retain their usernames, discover their followers, engage in conversations, and express their perspectives.

In addition, Instagram users have the option to enter the word “threads” in the search box, revealing a compact ticket icon in the search bar. Upon tapping the ticket, users will be directed to a rotating ticket display. One side of the ticket features the app’s icon, while the other side displays the launch date, time, username, and QR code. A countdown timer is also visible showing the time remaining until the launch.

The development comes a few days after Musk announced temporary limits on Twitter accounts to “address extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation”. These measures enforce specific daily reading limits: verified accounts are restricted to 6,000 posts, unverified accounts are limited to 600 posts, and new unverified accounts face a cap of 300 posts per day.

Meanwhile, earlier today, Twitter Support announced the launch of a “new and enhanced edition of TweetDeck”. It also noted that “in 30 days, users must be Verified to access TweetDeck”. 

Since Musk acquired the social media firm for $44 billion last year, Twitter has experienced significant transformations. In May, Musk confirmed Linda Yaccarino as the micro-blogging platform’s new Chief Executive Officer, marking a notable leadership change.

In a tweet confirming Yaccarino as the new CEO, Musk said that he is “looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform (Twitter) into X, the everything app”.

Ahead of Threads’ launch, the user response to Meta’s Twitter competitor remains uncertain. However, Jack Dorsey, Co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, took to the microblogging site to respond to the app’s listing on the App Store. Dorsey attacked Thread’s data privacy policy with a screenshot of the ‘Data Linked to You’ section, which presents an extensive list of data that could potentially be collected and associated with a user’s identity.