Meta adds new features to Threads after more than half of users leave app

Meta Platforms' Threads app is adding new updates including the ability to share posts through Instagram messages, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday, as the company tries to retain users on its new app.

Threads — which rivals X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — lost more than half of its users in the weeks following its buzzy launch. It crossed 100 million sign-ups within five days of launching in early July.

Meta is looking at adding more "retention-driving hooks" to entice users to return to the app, like "making sure people who are on the Instagram app can see important Threads," Chief Product Officer Chris Cox had said at an internal company town hall in July, the audio of which was heard by Reuters.

The new updates will also include a mention button to easily mention someone's account in a thread, Zuckerberg said in a post on Wednesday. The company is also looking to add search functionality and a web version for Threads in the coming weeks.