Meta today announced the global rollout of Direct Messages (DMs) inside Threads, answering the community’s most‑requested feature and marking another step in the app’s journey to operate independently of Instagram.
Launch Highlights
Available Today
One‑on‑one private chats for users aged 18+ in nearly all markets (excluding Japan, Australia, the U.K. and the EU during the initial phase). and Quick‑tap emoji reactions, spam‑reporting tools and mute controls that mirror familiar Instagram options.
Coming Soon
Meta confirmed work is already under way on group messaging, inbox filters and finer message‑control settings to give users more flexibility over who can contact them.
Strengthening a Distinct Social Graph
Despite sharing its original sign‑up flow with Instagram, more than one‑third of daily Threads users now follow a social circle that overlaps less than 50 % with their Instagram connections. This divergence has encouraged Meta to trial Facebook log‑ins, Threads‑only accounts and even web access without any login requirement, all designed to make Threads a standalone destination for real‑time conversation.
Privacy & Security Notes
At launch, DMs will not be end‑to‑end encrypted. “It’s really about connecting directly and talking about what’s happening now, which makes encryption less core to the experience,” explained Emily Dalton Smith, VP of Product for Threads.
Highlighter Feature Debuts in Parallel
Alongside private messaging, Threads is rolling out Highlighter a visual module that surfaces trending conversations and notable perspectives directly in users’ For You feeds. The capability will expand to topic feeds and other discovery surfaces over the coming months.
Momentum & Outlook
350 million monthly active users and growing, placing Threads ahead of emerging text‑centric rivals. Continued investment in AI to power topic summaries, trending‑topic detection and smarter recommendations, while monetization remains focused solely on ads for now.
“With native DMs we’re building on the vibrant interest‑led communities that have flourished on Threads and giving people a faster way to take the conversation private when it matters most.”
Emily Dalton Smith
Availability
The DM update begins rolling out today on iOS, Android and the web, reaching all eligible users over the next several days. Feature availability may vary by region and account age.
