Not to be a mood dampener, but we have some bad news for threads-eager EU residents.. Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri says it will likely be ‘many months’ before the app becomes available in the region. Meta’s new Twitter-like app has taken off nearly globally, but the same cannot be said about EU Threads access. This access limitation stems from the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA means to protect user privacy, control data use, and mitigate the monopoly-type behavior of tech giants.
In The Waiting Line
The DMA primarily targets large corporations that have outsized control over how users access apps and connective processes. One of the act’s primary goals is to stop the likes of Google and Apple from misusing their market power. Leading brand names like these often flex their influence to prioritize their products. In this context, the same also applies to Meta, hence the gating of its Threads app.
As such, Meta must wait to ensure Threads ticks off all the boxes. Meta has to simultaneously ensure that Threads meet all of the DMA’s other outlined elements.
As per Adam Mosseri:
“Unfortunately, for support in the EU, to make sure that we’re compliant with laws that are coming in 2024 it’s just gonna’ take a while. I wish it wasn’t – I’ve been living outside the US for a year now, and I think we need to be way less US-centric as a team, [and] I’ve been pushing for that in a really big way. But it just turns out that in order to make sure that we can verify all the things we need to do to be compliant, it’s just going to take many months, unfortunately.”
Some users have found a way to partially circumvent the current restrictions on EU Threads access via VPN. Meta put a stop to that workaround last week, cutting off VPN user access in the region.
As a result, EU users are locked out of Meta’s shiny new app. Threads-eager EU peeps have to stick with Twitter for the time being. Even without EU users, threads is already up 114 million members and rising. There will always be reports that detract, but the results speak for themselves, with Threads still having increasing hype.
Last week, Sensor Towerreported that daily active users in Threads declined by around 20%. Average usage time also sunk by half as the app’s initial experience appeal started to fizzle. The limited novelty of the Threads experience is due to its sparse offers. Threads currently has a limited feature set, while simultaneously using users’ Instagram graph as a recommendations proxy. It may not be the most effective linkage between the two platforms, but at least there is a link.
IG Chief Adam Mosseri notes that Threads has a long way to go in getting up to speed. At the same time, he also mentions that Threads retention was better than expected, along with engagement. Instagram has yet to share details about this.
The Wrap
Remember that Threads is still in its early stages, so expect engagement to continue shifting until it rounds features out. Threads needs to settle several other elements to be on the same level as other apps. Things like a follow Feed, desktop app, improved recommendations, etc. need time to develop. The fact that many people are interested and have enjoyed the Threads experience is a critical first step. Instagram must move quickly to maximize that interest, but solid foundations are farming. EU Threads access isn’t out of reach, but Meta needs to do plenty of maneuvering.
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