From The issues started on July 6th, After has released a series of updates for both Android and iOS applications.
Unfortunately, what these updates actually do wasn’t quite clear. The version history on the App Store lists updates 291, 292.0, and 292.1 as all providing “bug fixes and performance improvements,” which makes yesterday’s version — 293 — interesting.
“You asked, we answered”, says the text of the update. “New features are coming, so keep that in mind as you browse the latest version of the app.”
However, it’s not really clear that Meta has responded. There are no obvious new features in the latest version, and it looks like this might just be the new placeholder text for the version history page. After all, if a big feature request had been delivered, you’d imagine Meta would make a song and dance about it.
The good news, however, is that we have a rough idea of the features of Meta’s long-term roadmap for Threads, as it looks to officially replace Twitter as the text-based social media application of the option.
That’s because the head of Threads and Instagram, Adam Mosseri, responds to feature requests from users in the app, so we have a good idea of what’s coming, even if we don’t know the priority.
However, a following tab – where you only see content you’ve selected, rather than Meta’s idea of what you might like – seems imminent. In a short clip posted by Mosseri, you can clearly see a “Following” tab is his version of the app, which isn’t present on the regular one.
Beyond that, Forbes’ Paul Tassi has been diligently monitoring Mosseri’s responses to film requests and has identified nine more features that he has confirmed are in the works.
Two of them relate to discovery. Hashtags and a proper search function are both on the way, which will allow users to find interesting people to follow a little more easily. Currently, there is a search function, but it only searches people, not what they write about.
There are also planned updates to how users post. Editable posts — something Twitter had been asking for for years before it became a paid feature under Musk — will apparently be part of Threads soon, as will the ability to limit who can reply to your posts (“sounds easy enough,” Mosseri said).
A PC version should follow at some point. Technically this already exists, but it’s read-only and acts as a gateway to download the app if you want to join chats. For those who prefer to type on a keyboard or want to multitask while working, this could be the key.
Other improvements on the way include translation tools, multi-account switching, and the ability to more easily embed Instagram posts. While Tassi lists direct mail on his list, it doesn’t sound like a priority, as Mosseri said he didn’t want to “add another inbox” for people.
With Thread usage sinkMeta and Mosseri will hope to roll out these and other improvements as quickly as possible to ensure that the initial impressive momentum it is not lost. But with Elon Musk continues to make confusing decisions on Twitterthe company may have many more opportunities to capitalize in the coming weeks and months.
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