Facebook is developing a new messaging app called Threads that is meant to promote constant, intimate sharing between users and their closest friends, The Verge reports. Called Threads, the app is designed as a companion to Instagram and invites users to automatically share their location, speed and battery life with friends, along with more typical text, photo and video messages using Instagram. The app, which is designed for sharing with the "close friends" list on Instagram, is now being tested internally at Facebook.
Instagram declined to comment.In May, Instagram ceased work on Direct, a standalone messaging app that it had been developing since late 2017, the Verge said. At the time, executives said that beta testers were frustrated about having to switch between Instagram and a second app whenever they wanted to send a message. However, the company has remained interested in building new messaging experiences and is hoping to catch up with Snapchat on engaging users.
