Threads’ debut of its direct messaging feature on Tuesday now allows millions to build private connections within a platform increasingly distinct from Instagram.
The long-anticipated rollout—launched globally after early tests in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Argentina—marks Threads’ evolution from an Instagram companion into a standalone, interest-driven social network built for conversation over curation.
Meta first laid the groundwork for Threads in late 2022, following the quiet success of Instagram Notes and rising user dissatisfaction with Elon Musk’s early leadership of Twitter (now X). By mid-2023, the company accelerated development on Project 92, which became Threads, officially launched on July 5 with Instagram integration and a mission to foster public discourse around text.
“Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas,” stated Meta in its launch announcement.
Direct messaging began limited testing in June, introducing a new envelope icon across Android, iOS, and web. As of the July 1 update, users aged 18 and older can send one-on-one messages to Threads followers or mutual Instagram contacts. Core features include emoji reactions, spam reporting, and mute tools. Encryption, group chats, and message filtering are in development.
The launch comes as Threads surpasses 350 million monthly active users, positioning it in the same league as newer platforms like Bluesky and edging closer to X. For businesses and creators, the built-in messaging feature offers a direct way to connect with followers. However, some users argue that adding private DMs could divert the app from its original focus on open, public conversations.
Meta showcases the new Threads DM interface with features like private chats, trending topics, and follower messages.
Meta
This milestone follows a major March update aimed at personalization and user control, which introduced:
- The ability to tag up to ten topics in user bios to highlight interest and improve discovery
- New reply and quote-post privacy settings enabling follower-only interactions
- The option for users to choose customer or “Following” feeds as their default
- Enhanced video playback with intuitive pause/play/skip controls
- A pinned progress bar
These features were part of Meta’s effort to tailor the platform to individual preferences.
With its newest update, Meta says it’s focused on speed, simplicity, and community building over encryption. Coming updates will introduce tools such as message controls, group chats, inbox filters, and a “message request” folder to enhance user safety.
The introduction of Threads’ DMs is a turning point for the app, positioning it as a fully independent space for conversation, somewhere between the intimacy of Instagram and the reach of Facebook.