Threads already has over 400 million monthly users, but Meta is looking to increase that number even further. With a new Threads feature launching this week, the company is making it easier for Threads users to share posts from the app to Instagram Stories. This is a move that could leverage Instagram’s larger user base to attract more people to Meta’s X competitor.
The company announced a new feature on Thursday that lets you share Threads posts to Instagram Stories without leaving the Threads app. Instead, you can preview how your post will appear in your story directly within the Threads app.
Previously, you could use this app to share someone else’s threaded post to your Instagram Story, similar to resharing someone else’s Instagram post to your Story. Additionally, tools are already available for sharing posts to your Instagram feed or DMs.
Meta’s text-centric, Twitter-like app Threads first launched in July 2023 and quickly grew its initial user base through its relationship with Instagram. To sign up, users had to authenticate with their Instagram credentials, which allowed the thread to populate account details such as username, bio, and photo, as well as verification status and followers.
With one tap, users can instantly follow accounts they already follow on Instagram, and non-Threads users will receive a notification when someone has added that account.
In the months and years since launch, Meta has relied heavily on other, larger social platforms to continue to grow Threads, including surfacing popular Threads posts on Facebook and adding a carousel of similar Threads posts to Instagram users. The company also made it easy for users to cross-post from Instagram and Facebook to Threads, which also helped drive adoption.
This move paid off. Last month, data from market intelligence provider Similarweb showed that Thread now has more daily usage than Elon Musk’s X on mobile devices. (However, The company announced in October that Threads had reached 150 million daily active users.
