Threads Engagement Reportedly Stumbles After Impressive Start

Threads, the Twitter rival spun off from Instagram, was one of the fastest apps to clock 100 million users, achieving the milestone within a week of its launch. But it appears that interest in the app has declined, and the meteoric rise has plateaued.

Citing data compiled by app analytics platform SensorTower, CNBC reports that daily active users dropped about 20% within five days. SimilarWeb, a reliable website traffic analytics platform, told CNBC that the number of daily active users on Threads witnessed a 25% decline between its peak on July 7 and July 10.

The decline in daily active user count is not unprecedented. Following the launch, multiple analysts predicted that the explosive growth would halt soon. That's primarily because a healthy number of users signing up are eager to get a taste of what Threads offers.

Converting those early adopters into long-term users won't be easy, even though Instagram is a one-click port to Threads for its nearly two-billion-strong global audience. Then there is the question of features — there aren't many that could distinguish it from Twitter at a functionally meaningful scale.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has promised that work is underway on adding more features. But right now, the biggest draw of Threads is essentially a Twitter experience without any of Musk's controversial product decisions.

But it's not just the number of daily active users that has taken a hit. According to SimilarWeb, the time spent by users on Threads has also halved, dropping from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. SimilarWeb says the average time spent has declined from 20 minutes daily to 8 minutes. However, SimilarWeb's figures only consider the Android side of the platform and not iOS.

Right now, Threads looks like a Twitter clone from a UI perspective and is missing a healthy bunch of fundamental features, such as a following feed, an edit button, and granular search capabilities. 

But a couple of crucial factors could tilt the scales in Threads' favor. The app is currently unavailable in the EU, and the company is blocking VPN users from signing up. That's a large audience waiting to hop on the Threads bandwagon. 

Second, Threads will become a part of the Fediverse in the near future. That means it will allow users to communicate with people on Mastodon and any other social pocket built atop the ActivityPub protocol in a decentralized social universe.

A healthy bunch of internet users opposes signing up for another social platform by Meta. Still, if they can remain connected with their Threads contacts without signing up for it, there would at least be more engagement driven toward Instagram's Twitter clone.