10 Threads Features You Should Try in Meta's Twitter Alternative

Several social networks have emerged in recent years, many of which aim to provide a Twitter-like (now X-like) experience without the baggage that Elon Musk brings to the platform. Meta, best known for its social networks Facebook and Instagram, has introduced Threads with several key advantages that set it apart.

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If you haven't explored threads yet, check out my story about how to sign up. Here are 10 Threads features you should try.

1. Write posts up to 500 characters long

You want to start creating posts in threads. Great. A lot can be said here. While X limits free users to posts of 280 characters, Threads allows anyone to create a post of up to 500 characters. To try it out, create a new post and start typing until the character count reaches 0. Just make sure what you have to say is worth a long read.

2. Save drafts of your posts for editing

Do you want to write something but don't want to publish it yet? You can save a draft for later revision and editing before publishing it. This feature only works with the Threads mobile app.

Start a new post in the app and start typing. Tap Cancel or X in the top left, then select Save Draft. If you want to continue with the post, tap the icon to start a new post. The design is then ready to be completed.

3. Take a photo to add to a post

Want to spice up a post with a good photo? Not only can you add existing photos from your mobile photo library, but you can also take new photos. To try this, create a new post and tap the camera icon. Take a photo and then either use it or take it again.

4. Save a post

Want to save a post for future reference? That's easy. Tap the ellipsis icon next to the post and select Save from the menu.

To view all the posts you have saved, tap your profile icon in the bottom toolbar. Select the double line icon in the top right, then select Saved.

5. Hide a post

It's likely that you'll come across posts that you just don't like and never want to see again. In this case, tap the ellipsis icon and select Hide. If you change your mind, tap Undo to make the post visible again.

6. Swipe on posts you like

Here's a new feature that's currently rolling out to some Threads users on the mobile app. Typically, you tap the heart icon to like a post and tap it again to remove your like. This new feature lets you swipe instead.

To try this out, make sure you're viewing posts in the For You feed. When you find a post you like, swipe it to the right until the heart icon turns red. To remove your like, swipe right again until the heart icon loses its red color.

7. Mute an account

You may come across an entire account that you no longer want to see in your feed. In this case, you can mute the account so that you will no longer see its posts. Simply tap the ellipsis next to the account and select “Mute” from the menu.

8. Control the amount of political content you see

You may want to see a lot of political content in threads or limit your exposure to them. Unfortunately, you can't turn it off completely, but you can control the flow. This option is the same for Threads and Instagram, so the way you set it will affect both platforms.

To manage this from the Threads app, go to Settings and then Account. Select “Other Account Settings.” Swipe down the screen to the “What You See” section, tap “Content Settings,” click “Political Content,” and select either “Don’t Restrict” or “Restrict.”

9. Share your posts on other platforms via Fediverse

Threads is part of the Fediverse, a network of interconnected servers operated by various third parties such as Mastodon, Friendica, Diaspora and Hubzilla. Although each service in Fediverse operates independently, they can all communicate with each other using ActivityPub, a social networking protocol supported by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Through Fediverse, a post you create on one platform can be viewed on all others.

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President Biden's official POTUS account taps into the Fediverse. If you want to share your posts on this network as well, tap your profile icon in the mobile app, go to Settings, tap Account, and click Fediverse Share. Threads give you a quick introduction to the Fediverse. Click “Enable Sharing.” Now every post you create in threads is accessible on the other servers and services in the Fediverse.

10. Earn money for popular posts

A new rewards program, currently available by invitation only, rewards Threads users based on the performance of their posts and the number of posts they publish. To qualify, your Threads profile must be public and your Instagram profile must be professional (either business or creator). If Meta sends you an invitation and you accept it, you can earn some money from every post with at least 2,500 views.