Meta is rolling out a new “activity status” feature on Threads that will let users see when others are online. This new function is intended to enhance real-time engagement on the platform, which has been criticized for lagging behind its competitor X (formerly Twitter) in surfacing live conversations and events.
According to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, the goal of this feature is to help users find others to engage with in real-time. A green bubble will appear next to a user’s profile picture to indicate their online status. Users can choose to turn this feature off if they don’t want others to know when they’re online, and only those who have the setting enabled will be able to see the status of others.
However, while Meta aims to encourage more timely interactions with this addition, it doesn’t fully meet the demand for a feed more focused on real-time content. The activity status is intended as a way to help users locate others who are currently active, but it doesn’t address the core criticism that Threads still lacks the real-time responsiveness that X offers for events like award shows or breaking news.
Although the feature may seem like an attempt to address the absence of direct messaging (DMs) on Threads, Meta has stated that it has no plans to add DMs to the app. Users who want to start conversations on X can send a message directly, but Threads still lacks that functionality. According to Mosseri, knowing when people are online could make it easier to have conversations on the platform, even without direct messaging.
The feature is being rolled out starting today, although it may take some time before all users see it. While Mosseri didn’t provide specific instructions on how to turn off the feature, some users have already figured it out.
Featured Image courtesy of Threads
Follow us for more tech news updates.