Threads hits 500 million monthly users with new features

Nearly three years after launching, the Meta-owned social platform Threads has reached 500 million monthly active users (MAU), the company announced Tuesday. This milestone represents an addition of 100 million monthly users over the past 10 months, up from the 400 million monthly active users the platform reported in August 2025. Alongside the user milestone, Threads is launching a suite of new personalization and community features.

Among the updates is the “Your Algo” feature, which is rolling out in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. The tool builds on the “Dear Algo” feature launched in February, which required public posts to adjust feed preferences. With “Your Algo,” users can privately control what they see in their feed by requesting to see more or less of specific topics. Users can choose how long these requests last, with options for one, three, or seven days.

Threads is also bringing its “Communities” feature out of beta, introducing a new “Discovery Hub” to help users find dedicated spaces for specific topics. Connor Hayes, the head of Threads, explained that the hub is an effort to get communities in front of more people. Additionally, the platform is expanding “Live Chats”—a real-time conversation feature launched in April—to more communities. Hayes noted that users appreciate the platform’s quietness compared to video-centric alternatives. “One of the positive pieces of feedback that we get from a lot of people about Threads is that they appreciate the quietness of the app in a world where a lot of social is video-centric and loud. And so these Live Chats have been a nice second screen companion experience for people that are watching stuff, but want to follow along with commentary while they do so,” Hayes said.

The expansion of these features represents an effort by Threads to close the gap with its competitor, X. While X has historically served as a primary platform for real-time commentary during live events, Threads initially lacked features like robust search and chronological feeds. By introducing tools that prioritize user-controlled discovery and real-time conversation, Threads is positioning itself to compete more directly for live-event engagement.

Why it matters

Threads is shipping features to differentiate itself from X, aiming to improve user retention by giving users more control over their feeds and fostering niche communities. By offering temporary, private feed customization, the platform is attempting to address discovery challenges and carve out a distinct position as a quieter alternative for real-time discussion.