Threads to Introduce a New Feature Borrowed from Instagram and Snapchat

Meta-owned Threads has 175 million users and is testing a new feature. As TechCrunch reports, these ephemeral posts will remain visible to users for up to 24 hours. Moreover, once the timer runs out, replies given under the post will disappear, similar to Instagram Stories, which are also driven by meta.

If Threads implements a 24-hour post feature, it will be the first among its social network rivals like X, Bluesky and Mastodon. Details on when the Meta-owned social media platform might roll out the feature to a wider user base remain under wraps. It’s also unclear whether users can add a specific time within 24 hours for a post to be automatically deleted.

Sharing about it, developer and tipster Alessandro Paluzzi published a fleeting post on Threads. A screenshot added to the report shows a 24-hour expiration timer ticking backwards to zero for the post. When users tap on the reply button, they can see the remaining time, after which the post will be deleted. The post also had a banner at the top of the post that read, “Your posts and all replies will be automatically deleted within 24 hours and removed from your profile.”

Threads told the publication that temporary posts were being built as internal prototypes in June. This feature will be useful for users who have a habit of frequently deleting their feed or if the posts have a short-term context. While the banner did not specify anything about quoted replies, the media portal claimed that quoted posts also disappear when the timer for the original post expires. Messina also noted that the disappearing posts will not be shared with the Fediverse network. This means that if a user switches to Mastodon with their account, temporary posts will not be added, as threads will not be able to delete those posts from other ActivityPub-powered servers. Notably, Threads began allowing users to share their posts with Fedivers in June.