Threads expands open social web integrations with fediverse feed, user profile search

Instagram Threads, Meta’s competitor to X, on Tuesday launched two new features as part of its plan to further integrate with the open social web, known as the fediverse. Now, Threads users will be able to see posts from other users on the fediverse within a dedicated feed if they’ve opted in to fediverse sharing on Threads. Plus, people will be able to search for fediverse users directly in Threads.

Posts from federated users will be found on the Following tab of the Threads app. They don’t appear in line with the other posts from Threads users, however. Instead, you’ll tap on a link at the top of the feed to view these posts in a separate feed.

Threads can pull in posts made on federated apps like Mastodon, Bookwyrm, WriteFreely, and others, with more services to be supported over time.

In addition, Threads users will be able to search and discover fediverse profiles in the Threads app, including those for WordPress bloggers who have activated fediverse sharing, Flipboard users, and those on Mastodon, among others.

The features are designed to make Threads feel more like a federated app, meaning one that’s connected to the wider network of interconnected social media servers that make up the decentralized open social web.

Though Threads has not completed this integration, with over 350 million monthly active users, it’s the largest app running on the ActivityPub protocol, which powers the X rival Mastodon and other federated apps.

First launched in July 2023, Threads to date has taken inspiration from traditional social networks like X, as well as those operating on open source protocols, like Mastodon and Bluesky. Like Bluesky, Threads introduced the concept of custom feeds as well as its version of Starter Packs, to help users find people to follow. And like Mastodon, Threads is more directly tied into the fediverse, allowing people to connect with others who are not directly on Threads.

Since its debut, Threads has introduced features that allow its users to opt in to share their posts on the fediverse, see replies on their posts from those on Mastodon, follow users’ profiles on other fediverse servers, and see who follows them in return.

In June, Threads expanded fediverse sharing functionality to the E.U. after prior launches in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. Meta says that Threads has interacted with over 75% of all fediverse servers since launching the fediverse sharing feature a year ago.

However, the company has not yet provided an update on when it would be fully integrated with the fediverse, nor when it would introduce account portability. That would allow Threads users to move their account somewhere else if they ever decided Meta’s policies weren’t to their liking. It’s a key aspect for open, decentralized apps, as it puts control in the hands of users instead of the platforms.