Threads is testing a new group engagement option with Threads Friends, which enables users to create a smaller sub-community of chosen connections.
Threads Friends is essentially the same as Instagram’s Close Friends feature, providing a more private engagement and sharing space where users can display their posts only to a select group of connections instead of broadcasting every update to everyone in the app.
Threads users will be able to create a list of up to 50 Threads connections to include in their group.
As explained by Threads: “People you add will see Threads Friends on your posts, so they’ll know they're part of your list. If someone on your list likes or replies to your post, others on your Threads Friends list will be able to see their username and how they interact with your post.”
Once a user has created a Threads Friends list, they’ll have an option to only post updates to their Threads Friends.
This could be another way to drive engagement in the app, by leaning into the broader trend away from public posting and toward more curated group sharing.
Threads said that it’s testing the feature with users in Ireland, Italy and Japan, but that anyone can be added to a Friends group, no matter where they are in the world.
