Traveling to Europe? You may not be able to use Threads there [U: Confirmed]

July 15, 2023

3 min read

Meta last week launched Threads, its new microblogging social network that comes to compete with Twitter. While Threads is available in over 100 countries around the world, it’s not available in European Union countries due to local regulations. And the bad news is you might not be able to use Threads in Europe if you’re just traveling around there.

Update: Meta has confirmed it’s blocking users “in most European countries” from accessing Threads. The company also said it wants to bring Threads to more countries in the future. You can read the original article below.

Users can download Threads via the App Store on iOS and Google Play Store on Android. However, those in European Union countries are unable to find the app as Meta has decided not to make it available in Europe due to “upcoming regulatory uncertainty,” presumed to be related to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Even so, users could still use Threads in Europe by changing the App Store or Google Play Store region to one where the app is available. Unfortunately, it seems that this method no longer works. As reported by some 9to5Mac readers, the Threads app is not loading content in European countries.

While this will certainly affect people living in Europe who want to use Threads, it also seems to be a problem for people traveling across Europe. According to a reader who just traveled to Portugal, the app stopped working as soon as he arrived in the country.

In most cases, users can check the timeline, but trying to write a new post, check notifications, or even access their own profile results in error messages. On the other hand, we have reports of Android users still being able to access Threads in Europe, so it’s unclear at this point whether the restrictions only apply to the iOS app for now.

Here’s how to use Threads in unsupported regions

If you live in Europe or are just traveling there and want to use Threads, the best solution right now is probably to set up a VPN on your phone. With a VPN, you can change the location of your IP address to a country where Threads is officially available. Of course, this will still require you to download the app using an App Store or Google Play Store account from a supported region.

Meta hasn’t said when (or if) Threads will be available in Europe. The new regulation that passed last year has a lot of rules to prevent anti-competitive practices by big tech companies, including prohibiting them from crossing and reusing personal data without user consent.

Since Threads is entirely based on Instagram, this could result in problems for Meta. Until Meta adds a solution to separate Threads from Instagram, we speculate that the situation is unlikely to change.

Have you been able to use Threads in the EU? Let us know in the comments section below.

H/T: Cássio Francklin and Felipe Cepriano