Get ready EU users, because Threads is coming, very soon.
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Meta’s planning on launching Threads to EU users next month, which will enable many millions more people to access its Twitter-alternative app.
At launch, Threads was not made available in the EU due to evolving privacy regulations in the region, implementing new requirements that needed further assessment from the Threads team. But now, Meta’s apparently confident that the app can meet the new DSA regulations, with one EU-specific proviso.
As per WSJ:
“To comply with [EU] regulations, Meta will give EU users the choice of using Threads purely for consumption without a profile that allows them to make their own posts.”
So Meta will provide a data opt-out, in line with the new EU rules, while users will also have the choice to create a Threads profile as normal, and engage in the app like any other user.
Various back-end code updates have pointed to a pending EU release for the app.
Earlier this month, app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi found several “Threads EU Launch” tags laying dormant in the code base.
Meta, of course, is keen to get Threads out to as many people as possible, as soon as possible, in order to capitalize on the app’s growth momentum, as more people turn away from Elon Musk’s X project, and seek a real-time feed alternative.
Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Threads had reached 100 million users, while Musk’s ongoing divisive commentary has continued to push many influential X users away, inadvertently fueling Threads’ growth.
And with the holiday season fast approaching, when people will be spending more time engaging in social apps, now would be the best time for Meta to make a move, and get Threads in front of many more users.
There’s been no official announcement, but Meta’s expected to make a move very soon.
