In a recent announcement, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Threads, Instagram’s Twitter-like app, is rolling out a long-awaited feature – an edit button. Unlike its social media counterpart, Twitter (formerly known as “X”), which introduced the edit button last year but locked it behind a subscription paywall, Threads is offering this feature to users at no extra charge.
With this new edit button, Threads users can make corrections to their posts within five minutes of posting. Previously, users had to resort to deleting a post and reposting it to address any typos or errors. This move not only enhances the user experience but also sets Threads apart from other platforms that monetize this functionality.
However, it’s worth noting that Threads does not display the edit history of a post, which differs from Twitter. Twitter offers edit history to maintain transparency and prevent the spread of misinformation. In Threads, users can make substantial changes to their posts without a record of the original content, potentially raising concerns about the potential for misuse of the edit button.
TechCrunch has reached out to Meta to inquire whether the company plans to add an edit history function to Threads, which could address some of these concerns.
In addition to the edit button, Mark Zuckerberg also announced another exciting feature called “Voice Threads.” This new functionality allows Threads users to post audio content, catering to those who prefer voice over text. To use Voice Threads, users can initiate a new thread or reply, tap the microphone icon to start recording, and an automatic caption for the audio clip can be edited before posting.
The timing of this announcement aligns with reports suggesting that Threads is gearing up to launch a “Trends” feature. This move is seen as a strategic effort to compete more effectively with Twitter. The glimpse into this development came when a Threads user accidentally posted a screenshot showing a numbered list of trending topics and the number of active discussions on each topic.
Unlike Twitter, Threads’ Trends list does not categorize trends by topic (e.g., News and Sports) or offer personalized trends like Twitter’s “For You.” However, the addition of a Trends page represents Threads’ latest endeavor to strengthen its competitive position in the social media landscape.
With these new features, Threads aims to offer users a more dynamic and user-friendly experience while potentially challenging Twitter’s dominance in the microblogging and social media space.