Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently launched the Threads app, which offers a place for real-time online conversation, a feature Twitter has always prided itself on.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, said on his verified Threads account Thursday morning (Thursday night, Malaysian time) that 30 million people had signed up for the app.

Threads has attracted a growing number of celebrities including Coldplay, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Chris Hemsworth, Gordon Ramsay, and Tom Brady. Famous social influencers are also getting on the Threads train – Zach King, Lele Pons, Gary Vee, MrBeast, and many more.

In many ways, the app appears similar to Twitter, from its layout to its product description. The listing, which first appeared earlier this week as a teaser, emphasizes its potential to attract users and build connections. Based on the listing description, the app reads:

“Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world”.

When users download the Threads app, they are asked to link their Instagram accounts, customize their profiles, and follow the same accounts they already follow on Instagram. The look of Threads is similar to Twitter, with the same layout, text-based feed, and ability to repost and quote other Threads posts. However, Threads also offers Instagram Stories sharing capabilities and blends Instagram’s existing aesthetic. Verified Instagram accounts are also verified on Threads automatically. Accounts can also be set to be public or private.

The Threads app joins a growing list of Twitter rivals and could pose the biggest threat to Twitter, given Meta’s vast resources and massive audience. It also comes amid heightened turmoil at Elon Musk’s Twitter, which experienced an outage over the weekend, followed by an announcement that the app had imposed temporary limits on how many tweets users can read while using the app.

At this time of writing, many have praised the app as having more leniency compared to Twitter’s new restriction, although several features such as DM (Direct Message), pin posts, trending page, and analytics page aren’t included in the social platform.

We, Kakuchopurei, have created an account on Threads and our impression of the App is overall positive. We’re happy to see lots of new and familiar users from the Twitter gaming community sign-up for it. Give us a follow and say hi!

Threads is available to download for iOS via the App Store and Android on Google Play.