Outdated platform? Threads plans to launch a web version! After just over a month since its launch, how much has the usage data declined?

As a competitor to Twitter, Meta's new social platform Threads gained significant online buzz when it launched in early July. However, this momentum was short-lived as the platform faced a serious decline in users after just over a month. Nevertheless, recent reports of Threads planning to launch a web version raise the question of whether it can regain some of the lost user base.

Threads Expected to Launch Web Version This Week

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Meta is set to launch a web version of Threads this week, allowing users to access Threads' various functions without the need for the mobile app. As of today, Threads' features are only accessible on mobile, and while the browser version can display user posts, it currently only allows reporting and no other actions.

However, just last Friday, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, announced on his personal Instagram page that a web version of Threads is on the way and is already being tested internally at Meta. Sources familiar with the matter informed the Wall Street Journal that the web version is expected to roll out early this week, although plans are subject to final confirmation and may still be subject to changes.

Sharp Decline in Threads' Usage Data

Upon its launch, Threads quickly gained traction with a large user base from Instagram, resulting in over 100 million downloads within just 5 days.

However, the momentum did not last long. Issues such as high overlap with Twitter, lack of user positioning, and insufficient features led to a rapid decline in Threads' user base. According to data from Similarweb, the peak global daily active users for Threads occurred on the day after its launch, July 7, with 49.3 million active users. However, a month later on August 7, the daily active users had dropped to just 10.3 million.

Comparing this data with Twitter's current X daily active users, it is evident that Threads had limited impact on Twitter post-launch and failed to attract a substantial number of Twitter users. Twitter's daily active user count has remained stable at over 100 million, including Android users.

Additionally, Threads' daily usage data followed a similar trend. Initially, users were spending over 20 minutes daily on the app, but this figure drastically declined over time, with current daily usage averaging around 3 minutes. In contrast, Twitter's daily usage time remains stable at around 25 minutes for US Android users.

Based on the usage data, Threads' popularity has plummeted. While the introduction of a web version may expand usage avenues for users, without significant improvements to core functionalities to attract users, the impact on data improvement may be limited.