Android users can soon get a sneak peek at upcoming features for Meta Threads, the new Twitter rival that may already have Elon Musk feeling the heat. A Meta engineer announced on the platform that “Android users who love to live on the cutting edge” can sign up for a beta version of the app, which launched this week and already attracted over 30 million sign-ups by Thursday morning. There isn’t yet any mention of an iOS beta program.

Although no beta builds of the Android app appear to be available yet, the program could be enticing since the platform still lacks a long list of requested features. These include hashtags, direct messages, a full web version, chronological feeds, a “following” feed, and the ability to delete your profile without also wiping your Instagram account.

Of course, beta software often comes with bugs — so only proceed if you’re comfortable with the associated risks. As Meta’s @0xjessel advised, “New features and bug fixes will come on here first, but you’ll also have to accept an increased risk of a more unstable build since [it’s] earlier.” In addition, Meta will harvest your data — perhaps more than usual. “Certain data on your use of the app will be collected and shared with the developer to help improve the app,” the invitation reads.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can sign up for beta access. Fortunately, there’s no waitlist: Anyone with an Android device can enter the program and try out future builds as they become available.

Meta's Threads has blown up this week, with more than 70 million registered accounts being registered within around 40 hours of the app going live. One of those users is a particular thorn in the side of Elon Musk as they're posting what the Twitter owner once referred to as "basically assassination coordinates" for him.

In reality, the person behind Elonjet, Jack Sweeney, is using publicly available flight data to share the whereabouts of Musk's private jet in near-real-time. Sweeney used to post that information on Twitter, which bothered Musk long before he bought the company. Musk offered Sweeney $5,000 to delete the account, but the offer was rejected (a counteroffer of $50,000 or an internship at one of Musk's companies never panned out).

In December, a couple months after Musk bought Twitter, the Elonjet account was permanently suspended. Twitter updated its private information rules around the same time to limit users to sharing "publicly available location information after a reasonable time has elapsed, so that the individual is no longer at risk for physical harm."

Sweeney created a new Twitter account that shows the location of Musk's jet on a 24-hour delay, which was A-OK under the tweaked policy. Elonjet accounts on other platforms display more up-to-date information, including Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Mastodon and Bluesky.A subreddit is tracking the plane too.

Elonjet never truly went away for long, but there's something quite fitting about it showing up on Threads. The new app is a blatant competitor to Twitter. So much so, Twitter has threatened Meta with legal action after accusing it of using former employees and trade secrets to build the Threads. Meanwhile, those planning to use Threads to closely keep tabs on Musk's jet will have to keep an eye on Elonjet's profile — Threads bafflingly doesn't yet have a chronological feed of posts.

That said, Elonjet didn't quite escape the wrath of seemingly zealous Threads moderators. According to Engadget alum Saqib Shah, Meta removed the account from the app "in error" but later restored it.

Threads, Meta’s text-based Twitter rival, is finally out in the world (most of it, anyway). Compared with other would-be Twitter challengers, Threads has absolutely exploded. By the morning after its launch, the Instagram offshoot had already attracted more than 30 million new sign-ups, according to Mark Zuckerberg.

The momentum seems to have spooked Elon Musk, whose personal lawyer has reportedly threatened to sue Meta over unspecified “trade secrets.” But while the Meta vs. Twitter rivalry continues to play out, there are still some major questions about the new platform and how Meta intends to run it.

Why the relentless focus on brands and influencers?

It’s no secret that Meta began testing Threads with a relatively small group of creators and celebrities ahead of its official launch. The group provided some early feedback to the company, and helped ensure that when the floodgates did eventually open, new users were greeted with more than an empty feed.

The ploy worked. New Threads users found a lively feed filled with posts upon joining. But it’s also led to the main feed feeling a bit… underwhelming. Finding posts from friends, particularly recent posts, can be difficult as the current feed algorithm seems to heavily favor influencers, celebrities, brands and other higher profile accounts. Which leads us to..

What about a non-algorithmic feed?

If you know anything about Twitter, it’s that the original, reverse chronological feed is sacred to many longtime users. The same is true in some corners of Instagram, which brought back its chronological feed last year following a five-year hiatus.

So it can feel a bit jarring that Threads currently has a single algorithmic feed that seems to lean quite heavily on recommended posts from accounts you’re not already following. Not only is there no chronological feed, but there’s no way to view a feed of posts from only accounts you follow (though some have devised a workaround by messing with the app’s notification settings.)

Both Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Zuckerberg have since confirmed that a “following” feed — that is a feed dedicated solely to accounts you follow — is in the works, though it’’s unclear if this feed will be chronological or algorithmic) That should help address the “garbage hose” problem, as Slate’s Alex Kirshner described it,

How will Threads tie into the broader Fediverse?

One of the more intriguing aspects of Threads is Meta’s promise to integrate ActivityPub, the open-source protocol that powers Mastodon and other decentralized platforms that make up the “Fediverse.”

Mosseri told The Verge that Threads launched without ActivityPub due to the complexity involved. “It requires a bunch more work,” he said. But the company seems committed to the idea.

In its announcement, the company suggested it was all-in on the open standard, and what it represents for the future of social networks. “Our vision is that people using compatible apps will be able to follow and interact with people on Threads without having a Threads account, and vice versa, ushering in a new era of diverse and interconnected networks,” Meta wrote.

But the prospect of eventual Fediverse integration raises all kinds of new questions as well. How will the app, which is currently an offshoot of Instagram, handle interoperability with other federated platforms? Right now, Threads requires an Instagram account, which is neither decentralized or open-source, much less compatible with ActivityPub. Users can’t even delete their Threads account without also deleting their Instagram. So how will Threads users take their audience with them if they decide to leave? (Even on Mastodon, the process is far from simple.)

How will people on the thousands of Mastodon servers view and interact with posts on Threads? Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko has suggested it will be up to individual server admins to enable compatibility, but it’s still far from clear how this functionality would work. And that doesn’t address what might be possible on other platforms that pledged to support ActivityPub, like Tumblr and Flipboard, which may be less enthused about their platforms’ content being accessible a Meta-owned service.

Fediverse support also raises all kinds of questions about content moderation. Officially, Threads has the same community guidelines as Instagram, but federated platforms are free to set their own standards and norms. How will Meta keep content from other platforms that goes against its rules from Threads once posts are interoperable?

What about content moderation?

Speaking of content moderation, Meta hasn’t really addressed how it plans to scale its content moderation operation to handle the sudden influx of new users to a brand new platform. Up to now, the company has been clear that Instagram’s existing community guidelines apply on Threads and that it’s hoping to foster a more “positive” environment.

But it’s unclear how the company is handling enforcement internally. And as much as Meta execs try to emphasize the good vibes, history has taught us that where there are millions of users there will inevitably be bad actors spreading hate speech, misinformation and all the familiar ills of giant social media platforms.

For now, it seems like Threads is largely relying on Instagram’s moderation infrastructure. For example, the app will warn you before attempting to follow a user that’s repeatedly shared misinformation. The company is also pushing users to carry over their block, restrict and word filtering settings from Instagram. But with more than 95 million posts on its first day of existence, Threads will at some point likely need its own moderation resources.

Where are all the... other features?

More immediately, the most pressing question for most Threads users is when Meta will start adding a bunch of basic features that could make Threads more functionally like Twitter and other services. For now, many have raised the absence of a number of basic capabilities.

Direct Messages: Unlike Twitter and Instagram, Threads has no private messaging. And so far, it’s unclear if that could change. Mosseri seems cautious about the idea, telling The Verge he was hesitant to contribute to “inbox fatigue.”

Web interface: For a lot of Twitter power users, one of the more frustrating aspects of Threads is the lack of a proper web interface. For now, you can manually view Threads posts by navigating to user’s public profiles, but there’s no way to view your feed or interact with posts. Here, again, Mosseri says that’s in the works. “The priority is the mobile apps, but we are working on www,” he wrote.

Search and hashtags: While Threads makes it easy enough to find people from your existing social graph, Threads doesn’t allow you to search posts or even use basic filtering tools like hashtags.

Accessibility: Unfortunately, as with so many other new platforms, Threads so far has ignored some basic accessibility features. There’s no support for alt text for photos, for example, which feels like a pretty glaring omission given Threads ties to Instagram.

Ads: Most users (brands, aside) probably aren’t clamoring for ads in their new feeds. But the launch of Threads has prompted questions about what Meta’s eventual plan for advertising is. According to Zuckerberg, the ads won’t be coming any time soon. “Our approach will be the same as all our other products: make the product work well first, then see if we can get it on a clear path to 1 billion people, and only then think about monetization at that point,” he wrote on Threads.

While we don’t know exactly which features Meta is prioritizing first, it seems safe to say we won’t have to wait too long for at least some of these features. One advantage Threads has over many of its upstart competitors is that Meta has infinitely more engineers it can dedicate to these issues. And new features will be key if the company wants Threads to be a long term success and not just a novelty.

Twitter isn't exactly happy about Meta's Threads app, a new text-based Instagram sibling. As Semafor reports, Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta, accusing it of poaching former employees and unlawfully misappropriating trade secrets and intellectual property.

“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” Alex Spiro, Elon Musk's personal lawyer, wrote in a letter to Meta. “Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice to prevent any further retention, disclosure, or use of its intellectual property by Meta.”

Spiro, who is acting on behalf of Twitter parent X Corp, claims that Meta has hired dozens of ex-Twitter employees over the last year. He claimed the company "deliberately assigned" them to work on Threads "with the specific intent that they use Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property in order to accelerate development of Meta's competing app." He argued this violates state and federal laws as well as those employees' obligations to their former employer. In addition, Spiro said Meta is prohibited from scraping Twitter data relating to who people follow. 

Engadget has contacted Meta for comment. The company told Semafor that Spiro's claims were baseless and that no members of the Threads engineering team were ex-Twitter employees.

For the time being, Threads users need to sign up for the app with their Instagram profile. It's an easy process that helped Meta quickly sign up tens of millions of users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that 30 million people had joined Threads by Thursday morning, just over 12 hours after the app went live.

Threads, Meta’s text-based app to challenge Twitter, is now official. Mark Zuckerberg announced the new service one day ahead of the July 6th launch date that appeared in app stores earlier this week. Meta has begun rolling out the new service around the world, though it won’t be available within the European Union until the company addresses potential regulatory concerns.

In a blog post announcing the Twitter rival, the company described Threads as a “separate space for real-time updates and public conversations” that relies on users’ Instagram credentials but will eventually be compatible with a wider swath of decentralized services like Mastodon.For now though, Threads users log into the app and website with their existing Instagram account. The company will “carry over” existing usernames and verification status to Threads, though users have the option to further customize their profiles.

Like on Instagram, the company will rely heavily on recommendations to help people discover new accounts to follow. And Meta has been quietly testing the service with a small group of celebrities and creators, as well as its own employees, so new users won’t be greeted with an empty social network.

The service itself looks remarkably similar to Twitter though its design will feel familiar to Instagram users. It supports text posts up to 500 characters, as well as photos and videos up to five minutes. Threads will also support reposts — its version of a retweet — as well as quote posts. Users can also limit their replies, block and report other users. And posts from Threads can be easily shared to users’ Instagram Story for added visibility.

Meta

The launch comes at a particularly chaotic moment for Twitter, just days after Elon Musk announced strict rate limits that severely restricted the number of posts many users could view on the platform. The company also stopped showing tweets to logged-out users, before quietly backtracking. Musk, who has complained about AI companies training their platforms on Twitter data, blamed both unpopular moves on “data scraping.”

With Threads, Meta is challenging not just Twitter but the growing wave of Twitter alternatives like Mastodon. The company is planning to make Threads compatible with ActivityPub, the open source protocol that powers Mastodon and other decentralized services sometimes collectively referred to as the “Fediverse.”

“Our plan is to work with ActivityPub to provide you the option to stop using Threads and transfer your content to another service,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Our vision is that people using compatible apps will be able to follow and interact with people on Threads without having a Threads account, and vice versa, ushering in a new era of diverse and interconnected networks.”

As Meta explains, this means that users from Mastodon and other services that support ActivityPub will be able to follow and interact with public-facing posts on Threads. (Private accounts on threads will still be able to manually approve new followers from other services.) And other developers could one day create their own Threads-compatible features and services.

For now, it’s not clear how long it will take for Meta to fully integrate ActivityPub into Threads. In an early post on the service that was briefly viewable ahead of its official launch, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company was “committed” to the protocol, but didn’t provide a timeline. It’s also not clear how ActivityPub integration could affect content moderation and other safety issues. While Meta’s Threads app has the same content moderation policies as Instagram, services built by other developers are able to set their own standards and policies just as different instances on Mastodon have their own guidelines and norms. Meta notes that this will give users “the freedom to choose spaces that align with their values.”

At the moment, the biggest question facing Threads, though, is whether it has a chance at becoming a viable Twitter alternative. Since Musk took over the company last year, Twitter users have flocked to alternative platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky, T2, and others. But so far none have achieved anything close to the scale of Twitter, much less Meta. But, with more than 1 billion Instagram users, Zuckerberg and Meta are clearly hoping that they can gather momentum much more quickly than other decentralized upstarts.

Spotify is notifying users who’ve subscribed to its Premium service through Apple’s in-app purchase system that it will no longer be supporting it as a payment method. As a refresher, Spotify hasn’t allowed users to subscribe through Apple’s in-app purchase since 2016. However, those who had already subscribed via that method years ago could keep paying Spotify that way until now.

As reported by Variety, the company is emailing affected subscribers about the upcoming change. The email reads, “We’re contacting you because when you joined Spotify Premium you used Apple’s billing service to subscribe. Unfortunately, we no longer accept that billing method as a form of payment.” Spotify continues to say that those users will automatically be switched to the company’s Free, ad-supported tier at the end of the current billing cycle. “If you wish to keep your Premium subscription, you will need to re-subscribe after your last billing period has ended and your account has been moved on to the Free account.”

But that’s probably for the best. Due to Apple taking 30 percent of in-app purchases, Spotify users who were subscribed through in-app purchases were being charged an extra $3 per month compared to subscribing through Spotify directly. That’s despite the fact that Apple now reduces its commission rate to 15 percent on subscriptions after the first year. Apple said in a regulatory filing from 2019 that it collected that 15 percent fee on roughly 680,000 Spotify customers. Users transitioning from Apple’s payments can subscribe to Premium via a credit card or PayPal.

Both Apple and Google charge a “tax” on their respective app stores, regardless if a user is purchasing apps or subscribing through in-app purchase. Early last year, Google announced that it would be piloting a program that would allow third-party billing systems on Android, beginning with Spotify called User Choice Billing (UCB). Google began rolling out UCB to Spotify users late last year. Though, it’s unclear how many users are subscribing via UCB compared to using Google’s standard in-app purchase system. While there have been rumors about Apple allowing third-party app stores on iOS, there aren’t any official plans for those or for accepting third-party billing.

Music-streaming app Tidal has begun rolling out hi-res FLAC streams across the platform, according to CEO Jesse Dorogusker via a Reddit post. FLAC (free lossless audio codec) streams offer high fidelity audio up to 24-bit/192Hz. These files are on the larger side, taking up around four times the space of a standard MP3, which is why you rarely see the format on widely-adopted streaming platforms.

The feature is rolling out in early access for iOS users and the company says listeners can choose from over six million tracks available in the hi-res FLAC format, with more being added every day. All you have to do is update the beta app, if you have access, and select the “Max” quality in settings. Dorogusker says that Tidal is waiting for user response before making the tools more widely available. The CEO notes that the new streaming option will be available for all users in August, for Android fans and those not affiliated with the company’s early access plan.

Previously, Tidal used MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) audio for hi-res streaming, but this is more of an upscaling technique than an actual file type. Dorogusker hasn’t addressed the continued use of MQA, but has said that the company will “support multiple formats” of hi-res audio.

With more access to hi-res audio comes a hi-res price tag. You need a HiFi Plus subscription to access FLAC streams, which costs $20 per month. Tidal recently increased the price for standard subscriptions, from $10 to $11 per month. Rumors abound that industry leader Spotify is preparing its own hi-fi tier.

Meta's rival to Twitter called Threads, an Instagram app is set to launch tomorrow in the US and UK, but it may not come to the rest of Europe anytime soon. A Meta spokesperson told Ireland's Data Protection Commission that the service will not be rolled in the EU "at this point," Independent.ie has reported. 

Threads may not be launching in much of Europe due to more stringent data privacy requirements. The DPC is apparently not blocking the service — instead, it's Meta that has "not yet prepared the service for a European launch outside the UK, which is not fully governed by GDPR or EU privacy rules," according to the report.

The EU just hit Meta with a ruling that it must obtain consent from users before delivering personalized ads in the region. Prior to that, the company was hit with a €390 million EU fine (about $425 million) for not receiving consent before serving up such ads. 

On top of that, in 2021, the DPC fined WhatsApp €225 million ($266.8 million at the time) or not providing enough detail on how it shares EU users' data with Facebook. That could pose a problem for Threads in its current state, as it automatically imports data from Instagram, including advertising and behavior information, according to the policy listed on its iOS App Store page. 

Threads is arriving amidst issues with Twitter like "rate limits" on tweets and degraded service for the power-user app Tweetdeck. Many of Twitter's active users have been seeking an alternative with apps like Bluesky and Mastodon, but some see Threads as the most viable option due to Meta's scale. That's despite any reservations they may have about CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook's track record on privacy and other issues.

As Twitter continues to figuratively kneecap itself by limiting tweet views, Meta is hustling to bring its Twitter rival to reality. A listing for an app called Threads was spotted on the iOS App Store with an estimated release date of July 6th. In May, a report said the microblogging service was nearing completion and could be out as soon as the end of June. While an end-of-June launch didn't quite happen, the app could arrive when Twitter users are more willing (and maybe even eager) to finally jump ship.

Twitter boss Elon Musk announced at the weekend that verified accounts — which translates to paying users — can read 6,000 posts daily, while non-paying users can only read 600. He said the website is adopting the measure to "address extreme levels of data scraping [and] system manipulation."

From both the app listing and rumors, we’re expecting Threads will migrate your followers and circles from your existing Instagram handle, ensuring you should have an active timeline right from the outset. That is, if you’re an Instagram user.

– Mat Smith

You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!​​

The biggest stories you might have missed

Amazon is offering a $5 credit when you buy a $50 eGift card for Prime Day

Blue Origin is planning to open new launch sites outside the US

Tidal is increasing its HiFi plan to $11 per month

The best mobile microphones for 2023

The best cameras for 2023

Compacts, DSLRs, action cams and, of course, mirrorless cameras.

Engadget

Since smartphones started eating casual photography’s lunch, camera makers have focused on devices designed for very specific uses. Action cams provide sharp, fluid video. Compact cameras target both tourists and vloggers. And DSLRs are available at some of the best prices we’ve seen. Then there are mirrorless cameras, which continue to improve their autofocus and video. And that’s where some guidance helps. Whether you’re a creator looking for just the right vlogging camera, an aspiring wildlife photographer or a sports enthusiast, we’ll help you find the perfect camera to match your budget and needs.

Continue reading.

There’s an animated GIF generator now

Are your group chats ready for this level of nonsense?

Remember the early days of the AI hype train, when everyone spent their time making stupid images using text prompts? If you want to recapture the nostalgic haze of, uh, late 2022, Picsart has you covered. The popular image editor just launched an AI-powered animated GIF generator, calling the tool its “most unhinged” platform yet. Type a bunch of nonsense into the chat box, wait a minute or so and marvel at your “chaotic and eccentric” creation. The platform’s integrated into the regular Picsart app and is available for iOS, Android devices and on the web.

Continue reading.

Twitter launches 'new' TweetDeck as the old version breaks down

The feature will also be exclusive to Twitter Blue in 30 days.

If you've been having trouble using Twitter recently, you aren't alone — the service has been having issues since it started limiting the daily number of posts users could view. Although many of the platform's issues stabilized over the weekend, TweetDeck remains broken unless users switch to the beta version of the list aggregator. Now, Twitter is gearing up to solve the issue by making that beta version of TweetDeck the main version. According to Twitter Support, the feature will become exclusive to Twitter Blue subscribers in the near future, noting that "in 30 days, users must be Verified to access TweetDeck."

Continue reading.

Some HBO shows are streaming on Netflix in the US for the first time

'Insecure' is now on the platform, with 'Band of Brothers' and 'Six Feet Under' arriving later.

There really is an HBO show on Netflix. All five seasons of Issa Rae's highly acclaimed comedy-drama series Insecure are now streaming on Netflix in the US. Even more HBO shows are on the way, too. Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Six Feet Under and Ballers are also coming to Netflix as part of the deal, the company told Deadline. Meanwhile, Netflix users outside the US can stream True Blood on the service.

Continue reading.

We've known for quite a while that Meta has been building a Twitter competitor, but now we have a more solid idea of when it will become available. A listing for the app called Threads has popped up in the iOS App Store with an estimated release date of July 6th. In May, a report came out saying that the microblogging service was nearing completion and could be out as soon as the end of June. While an end-of-June launch didn't quite happen, the app could be arriving at a time when Twitter users are more willing (and maybe even eager) to try an alternative. 

Twitter recently put a cap on how many tweets an unverified account can read per day. In a post, Elon Musk announced that verified accounts — which translates to paying users — can read 6,000 posts a day, while unverified/nonpaying users can only read 600. He said the website is adopting the measure to "address extreme levels of data scraping [and] system manipulation." A regular user can easily hit 600 posts, so people who haven't been paying $8 to $11 a month for blue checkmark have been getting locked out of their feeds as a result. 

Meta describes Threads as "Instagram's text-based conversation app." Based on the screenshots posted in the listing, users can keep their Instagram handle and follow the same accounts they follow on the photo-sharing platform. That means users will have a pre-existing following and circles on the new app, giving it an edge over other Twitter rivals. Users will also be able to choose the privacy of their posts and make them visible to anyone, to the profiles they follow or only to the accounts they mention. They will be able to heart, send and share other people's posts, as well. 

Previous reports said Meta's Twitter competitor would be a decentralized service that's compatible with Mastodon, but it's unclear if that's still the case when it launches. We'll know for sure within a few days.