Threads App Shutdown: Instagram to End Support

Instagram Discontinues Standalone Threads App

The standalone messaging application, Threads, developed by Instagram, is scheduled for shutdown. Official confirmation from the company, relayed to TechCrunch, indicates support will cease by the end of December 2021, following initial reports circulating on social media platforms.

Origins and Initial Purpose of Threads

Introduced in 2019, Threads was conceived as a companion to Instagram, shortly after the discontinuation of the Direct messaging app. Unlike Direct, Threads prioritized a “camera-first” approach to mobile messaging, enabling users to share status updates and maintain contact with their designated “Close Friends” list within Instagram.

Despite its initial concept, the app failed to achieve widespread popularity. Rather than undergoing substantial improvements, Threads received limited development attention until a significant overhaul in the previous year. This revamp broadened its functionality, allowing messaging with all contacts – mirroring the capabilities previously offered by Direct.

Design Iterations and User Reception

Prior to the 2020 redesign, navigating the app’s various sections, including Status updates and location-based automatic updates, proved challenging for users. The update aimed to streamline switching between friends’ Stories, the Camera interface, and other features.

However, the app continued to lack efficiency in quickly reviewing messages, hindering its ability to gain substantial user traction following the changes.

Current App Store Ranking and User Feedback

Currently, Threads holds the No. 214 position within the U.S. App Store’s Photo & Video category, reflecting its ongoing struggle to attract a larger user base. User reviews average a modest 3.1 stars across 2,500 ratings, with complaints centering on usability issues, layout concerns, missing functionalities, and technical glitches.

Data from Sensor Tower, an app intelligence firm, estimates that Threads has accumulated approximately 13.7 million global installs across both the App Store and Google Play.

Meta’s Messaging Strategy and Interoperability

This closure coincides with Meta’s (formerly Facebook) broader restructuring of its messaging platforms. Following Threads’ launch, Facebook integrated Messenger and Instagram, enabling cross-platform messaging between users of both services.

These updates introduced a range of new features, including collaborative video viewing, emoji reactions, and customizable chat colors, with plans to eventually incorporate WhatsApp into this unified messaging ecosystem.

The Future of Threads and Focus on Instagram

The decision to sunset Threads arose from the integration of its popular features – such as automatic captions and status updates – into the main Instagram application, or their imminent rollout. Instagram determined that concentrating its resources on enhancing messaging within the core Instagram app would be more effective.

“We recognize the importance of connecting with close friends, a trend we’ve observed, particularly with the growth of messaging on Instagram,” stated an Instagram spokesperson to TechCrunch. “Our focus is now on improving the ways people connect with their close friends directly within Instagram, and consequently, we are deprecating the Threads app.”

Transition and Feature Integration

The company intends to introduce new messaging features within the primary Instagram app in the coming months. Beginning November 23, Threads users on both iOS and Android will receive notifications regarding the app’s impending shutdown in December.

Instagram’s Help Center will also display a notice detailing the end of support for Threads. Upon termination of support, users will be automatically logged out, and the app will be removed from both the App Store and Google Play. All features previously available in Threads will then be accessible within the main Instagram application.

The initial discovery of the closure message was made by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, and subsequently reported by several online publications. However, Instagram had not publicly confirmed the details until the in-app notifications began appearing for users.