Meta is testing a new feature on its X (formerly Twitter) rival app, Threads. The under-testing feature will enable users to initiate new messages from the Threads. The feature was missing from the platform since its inception. It will provide users with an option to message other users of the platform. A meta spokesperson confirmed the feature availability on the platform to Engadget saying that the company was “testing the ability to send a message from Threads to Instagram.”
The feature relies on Instagram’s inbox but users can now initiate messages from the app. It is available at the top of the user's profile and takes the place of the ‘mention’ button. The new button is labeled ‘message’.
It is currently available to some Threads users. A Threads user who goes by the name of Lucus Pushkaric also spotted the feature and posted about the same on Threads.
“Wait… what. The mention button was replaced with a MESSAGE button to instantly send a DM from Threads to IG,” Lucus wrote in the Threads post.
Threads direct messaging
Threads still do not have its own inbox and Instagram head Adam Mosseri has said many times that the company doesn't want to create a separate inbox for Threads. He also mentioned mirroring the Instagram inbox in Threads will lead to challenges such as notification routing and redundant message threads in two different apps.
Although the Threads app does not offer a full Direct Messaging feature, it allows users to send messages without switching to Instagram, which can make messaging on Threads less cumbersome. However, to check or respond to those messages, users will need to use the Instagram app.
Meanwhile, Meta has also rolled out the ‘trending now’ feature in Threads. This feature provides visibility into the kinds of conversations that are happening in Threads. The feature was announced by Mark Zuckerberg via a Threads post.
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