Facebook’s Instagram Launches ‘Threads’ App, to Rival Snapchat

The Instagram-linked app will work for people, who can message and share status with close group of friends.

New app from Instagram.

(Photo: Facebook newsroom)

In case, you were wondering if Facebook was working on any more apps that could rival (more like copy) Snapchat, then this week, you’ve got the Threads, which works through Instagram.

Facebook, through this post, says Threads is a new camera-first messaging app from Instagram for keeping up with your close friends in a dedicated space.

Which means, through Threads, users can upload status, share location and battery status with their close friends on Instagram, the social media company mentioned in its blog post on Thursday.

Users can also enable “auto status” feature, which would automatically update their battery life and status based on current location, the company said. This feature, however, will only work, if the user opts for it.

Facebook also pointed out location information sent from Threads to its server is only used to look up locations, and not stored there. It stays on the device for a limited time, and you can delete the Thread to remove it anytime. 

(Photo: Facebook newsroom)

The Close Friends feature, introduced last year, allowed users to share personal stories with a small group of people on Instagram.

Facebook has clarified that information collected on precise location for auto status will be specific to Threads and will not be used for ads.

“The way we use data from other parts of Facebook and Instagram to deliver relevant ads to you remains the same,” the company said.

The app is available on Android and iOS from this week onwards.