Meta's Threads Adds New Features as It Competes with Bluesky

Meta’s Threads app is rolling out a series of new features to enhance the user experience and compete with the rising popularity of Bluesky. The updates aim to provide greater customization, improve algorithms, and offer smoother interactions, positioning Threads as a more user-friendly and flexible platform.

Custom Feeds and Default Options for a Personalized Experience

One of the key updates in Threads is the ability to customize the user feed. This feature allows users to pin multiple curated feeds to their homepage, giving them control over the content they see. Users can choose topics or accounts they want to follow, providing an alternative to the algorithm-based recommendations typically offered by the platform.

Setting a default feed is simple—users can tap and hold a feed at the top of the homepage and reorder it. The feed in the first slot becomes the default view, allowing a more personalized browsing experience. This move brings Threads in line with its competitors, including Bluesky, which already offers similar customization options.

Smarter Algorithms and Enhanced Search Functionality

To improve the relevance of content, Threads has refined its algorithm to prioritize posts from accounts users already follow. Instead of overwhelming users with suggestions, the app now focuses on showing content that aligns more closely with user preferences.

In addition to algorithm improvements, Threads is enhancing its search functionality. Users will soon be able to search with advanced filters, such as narrowing results to specific date ranges or posts from individual accounts. This feature brings Threads closer to the advanced search options seen on other social platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

Upgraded Trending Topics and AI Summaries

The trending topics feature is receiving an upgrade, with a new page in development that will provide AI-generated summaries of ongoing discussions. This feature is currently being tested in the US but promises to improve how users engage with trending content by offering quick summaries and insights into the conversations happening around popular topics.

Landscape Video Playback and Other Enhancements

Threads users will now be able to view landscape videos, a much-requested feature that allows for a wider, more immersive viewing experience. Alongside this, the platform has made it easier to interact while composing posts by allowing users to view replies as they type. This update makes the platform more intuitive and user-friendly, improving overall user interaction.

Testing Phase and Regional Availability

It is important to note that while these updates are promising, many are still in the testing phase and may only be available in certain regions. Meta plans to roll out these features widely in the near future, with the goal of enhancing the overall functionality of Threads and making it a more competitive alternative to platforms like Bluesky.