Meta has been developing its own version of Twitter that will reportedly be released under the Instagram brand. Now, The Verge has seen and shared new screenshots of the unreleased app.
According to The Verge, Meta internally acknowledges that the new app is their response to Twitter. Codenamed “Project 92,” the app’s name could be Threads when it debuts. Meta will use the Instagram login system (which can optionally use the Facebook login system) for account creation.
Threads won’t just be another social network to keep up with, either. The app will reportedly use ActivityPub, a protocol that allows cross-compatibility with posts from Mastodon and other services.
In new screenshots presented internally today at Meta and obtained by The Verge, the text-focused app looks a lot like Instagram without photos. Media posts will take Threads full circle back to its roots as Instagram.
Why would Meta want to invest in a competitor to Facebook and Instagram, though? Simply put, it lets Meta have an answer to a potential future where ActivityPub-based networks steal attention from Facebook and Instagram.
It’s not a bad idea, either. Using the foundation of Instagram to create a Mastodon-like service comes off as obvious when you see the app screenshots. Check out more details about the project at The Verge.
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