Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has officially announced that his social media company is beginning to test a built-in direct messaging feature for its Threads app. He shared the update directly on the platform itself. Previously, Threads users had to switch over to Instagram to send private messages. The test is rolling out this week in select countries, including Hong Kong, Thailand, and Argentina.
Inside the app, users will see a fresh ‘envelope’ icon (at the bottom of the mobile or on the sidebar on desktop), which opens a dedicated inbox for one‑on‑one conversation. However, the company’s CEO also mentioned that the new messaging feature has a few limitations. Messages are not encrypted at this stage (though this might be possible in a later update). Also, users can only send one-on-one messages, as group chats are not supported yet.
Meanwhile, this update brings a feature users have been asking for since Threads launched in July 2023. Interestingly, Meta reportedly had early versions of the messaging feature ready in 2023, but users did not get access until now. Instead, they had to switch between Threads and Instagram to send private messages. Earlier, Instagram head Adam Mosseri admitted that such a setup was not ideal (particularly considering users’ experience) and said that adding direct messaging to Threads was always part of their plan.
The timing of this latest move becomes notable as public posting on social media is slowing down, while private messaging is becoming more popular. Clearly, this shift is pushing the social media powerhouse to make Threads a more complete communication tool.
Importantly, Threads has gained strong momentum globally by positioning itself as a more focused and ad-free alternative. However, in April this year, the company opened the platform to global advertisers. Even last month, in a bid to accelerate its revenue push from Threads, the social media giant introduced video ads to its text-based platform.
As of April, the platform had over 350 million monthly active users worldwide. In the United States, its user base is projected to reach around 60 million by next year. With such growth, Threads is positioning itself as a serious challenger to competitors like Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, and Mastodon. Some experts even believe that it could potentially surpass X in terms of user engagement in the near future. Zuckerberg recently reported that time spent on the Threads app has increased by 35%.
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