It looks like Meta wants to give Twitter users an alternative with their new clone, Threads. Developer Alessandro Paluzzi tweeted that Meta’s new Twitter dupe has been released on the Google Play store, however, it appears to have been a leaked mistake since the app is nowhere to be found.
Despite the app no longer visible on the Google Play Store, Paluzzi managed to screenshot some of the offerings of Thread, revealing its UI elements. In his tweet, he showed potential users what the login screen looked like, which appeared to reveal that users will be able to login with their Instagram accounts. Another screenshot showed a list of followed accounts from Instagram, seemingly showing users who they can choose to follow on Threads.
Threads appears to bear many similarities in function and aesthetics to Twitter. Based on the screenshots, the post features a characte count and also familiar icons for reposting, liking, replying to and sharing posts. User’s display pictures are in little circles while Instagram’s blue-check verification are even seen. Threads has been under development at Meta since early January under the code name, “Project 92.” According to The Verge, the name was confirmed when Meta’s Chief Product Officer Chris Cox previewed Thredas and said, “We’ve been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run.”
Meta has not yet revealed the official launch date of Threads.
#Instagram has released Threads (aka Barcelona) app on the Play Store https://t.co/v82PwE5Mgm pic.twitter.com/9rox8GgZfL
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) July 1, 2023
In other tech news, Elon Musk has limited how many Tweets users can read a day.