Threads, Meta’s answer to X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky, was launched almost two years ago in July 2023, and saw immediate rapid signups after piggybacking off Instagram’s user base. Despite being around for that long, it’s only just now testing direct messages, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday.
«We’re starting to test DMs on Threads. If you get access to this — slide through!» Zuckerberg posted on his Threads account.
The — very basic — DM functionality isn’t yet available on my Threads account. If I go to Zuckerberg’s post or profile, I still only have options like save, unfollow, mute, like, reply, repost and report. Meta says the initial testing of DMs is rolling out this week, but only in Hong Kong, Thailand and Argentina, though it plans to expand it to other locations soon.
According to the tech giant, Threads users have been requesting a way to continue conversations while keeping it in the app. You might have noticed that if you hit the arrow icon, you can send Threads posts to your friends and contacts on other Meta apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, rather than through Threads itself.
Judging from the screenshot Meta sent of the new DM functionality, an envelope icon will be placed at the bottom left of the screen, between the home and plus icons, where the magnifying glass icon is currently in your app. The search icon will be relocated to the top right corner, in line with the Threads logo.
