Threads is getting this Facebook and WhatsApp feature

Threads

Threads, which was introduced last year by Meta as a rival to the popular microblogging platform X, has now rolled out a new feature that lets Threads users see if others are online. This new ‘activity status’ indicator has been added to reduce the accusation faced by the platform of not prioritizing real-time content in its recommendations.

In a new post on Threads by Threads’s CEO Adam Mosseri, he shared the rollout of this feature. Further, he added that it has been introduced as a “way to find others to engage with” in real-time. The feature is turned on by default on Threads and will let users see the online status of other users.

However, similar to Instagram, Threads will let users switch off their activity status on the settings page. Interestingly, turning off your status view will also prevent you from seeing if other people are online. You can choose between the following options: Anyone, Followers, Followers you follow back, and No One.

It’s an interesting choice for a platform that still doesn’t have direct messaging capabilities. Such indicators are usually more common in social media apps, where a direct messaging option is enabled to converse with users in a separate chat window.

Meanwhile, Threads has recently been reported to be working on a Community feature. This feature will let users share their interests or hobbies in a separate section, and the online status indicator will help them communicate directly when they are online.