Threads loses half its users since launching last month 

Instagram’s Threads had a successful start last month, becoming a tough rival to Twitter (now known as “X”) and showing great promise. The text-based chat app attracted a remarkable 100 million sign-ups in just five days. However, according to Reuters, about half of the users left the platform after a few weeks despite the impressive early numbers. 

As reported by Reuters, Mark Zuckerberg apparently talked about user retention in a recent internal town hall meeting regarding the Threads app. He mentioned that the retention rates exceeded the company’s expectations but also acknowledged that there’s room for improvement. 

“Obviously, if you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around. We’re not there yet,” Zuckerberg said.

According to the CEO of Meta Platforms, it’s normal for users to drop off from the Threads app, but he expects retention to improve due to new and upcoming features. The recent update of the iOS and Android versions introduced a requested feature called “Following,” letting users view Threat accounts they follow in chronological order. 

Meta wants to attract lost users back to Threads by using “retention-driving hooks,” making sure important Threads are visible to Instagram users. Additionally, Threads can already be shared as Stories on Instagram, offering another way to engage with the app.  

Overall, Threads needs to keep adding new features to compete with X, but it seems to be adding in the right direction.