The service aims to gather various user data, including health, location, and search history from Instagram

LONDON Bitcoin hit its highest level in 13 months on Thursday rising as much as 3.28% to $31,500.

Threads, Instagram’s answer to Twitter, is finally here. After months of rumours, and amid what seems like it could be the decline of Twitter, Meta has launched its own platform for posting short text updates and replying to those from others. The app arrived overnight and is already picking up momentum, gaining ten million of downloads and signups in its first few hours. But what is it actually like to use, and will it be the thing that finally takes over from Twitter? Here are some first impressions of using the app, in the first few hours it is available. First impressions: Signing up and following people The sign-up process is astonishingly slick, in large part because of the app’s integration with Instagram. (So if you don’t use Instagram already, it won’t be quite so impressive.) This is already an important contrast with other Twitter competitors, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, which have complicated signup processes that could very easily put off potential users. Signing up means downloading the app, clicking your already imported Instagram login, and then choosing which of the accounts you follow there to copy over to Threads. Once that is done, you will be taken to the news feed. From there, everything will look very familiar: it is a combination of Twitter and Instagram, and that’s exactly what it looks like. If you’ve used those apps, you’ll probably already have a perfect sense of how it works, and even if you haven’t then everything is built to be as obvious and intuitive as possible. What is Threads like to use? The Threads app is astonishingly neat, and it already puts Twitter to shame. Everything is nicely sized to ensure that you can read posts and scroll through them, and the news feed is easy to navigate through. It is, mostly, like one of the third-party clients for Twitter, which Elon Musk killed off soon after he took over the site. Just like them, you get the basic functions of Twitter – replies, profiles and so on – but repackaged into a much nicer design. One of the big problems will be deciding who to follow from Instagram. Being able to post nice pictures on there is in no way an indication of a person’s ability to write nice text updates, and many of the best posters on Twitter would have been useless on a picture-focused site. When I open up Threads, for instance, it has a large focus on the kind of organisational account that I tend to follow for their nice pictures on Instagram. Those accounts are not necessarily quite so fun in text form. The other big problem is that the app is a lot less useful until people actually start signing up. If you don’t follow people already, then the feed will instead try to fill itself with posts from others, picked via an algorithm; just as it does on Instagram, that algorithm tends to pick quite boring and not especially relevant posts. An app like Threads – just like Instagram and Twitter before it – are only really as good as the people you follow. For now, there are fewer people to follow, and so it’s hard to say exactly how good or bad the app might end up being. Will Threads kill Twitter? Many apps have tried to succeed Twitter. Many have failed. But Threads is stronger than those that have come before, and Twitter is weaker than it has ever been. So the fact that no app has yet unseated Twitter does not mean that it is doomed. Much of that strength comes in the backing of Meta. It means that the app is slick and highly functional at launch, and comes with an existing network of people imported from Instagram. And much of the weakness of Twitter comes from timing. The site has gone from problem to problem under Elon Musk – but feels particularly troubled at the moment, after a weekend that saw a flurry of technical issues that brought with them an unusual response. However, Twitter has long served an unusual function in society, far beyond its actual size. Celebrities and major organisations have used it to make announcements; the media has used it to report on them. That importance within society meant that it stuck around long after its users became frustrated with it (and was probably the reason Mr Musk bought it in the first place). But that importance has already been disappearing: as a result of technical issues, a falling reputation and more, many of the individuals and organisations that gave Twitter its value have already left. It’s very likely that no other app will ever be able to recreate the combination of societal heft and blazing speed that marked Twitter out at its best. Not even Twitter can really do that anymore. It’s unlikely that Twitter will actually die soon: social networks tend to die not with a bang but with a whimper, and there will be probably be people that stick around long after the site has lost its place in society. But it is safe to say that it is already shrinking, and that Threads could accelerate that. So Threads might eventually kill Twitter: it already has a better design, and is less likely to prove controversial, and looks well set up to take users from its competitor site. But it might also not actually need to kill Twitter, which is dying already and might never be replaced. Read More Threads: What it’s like to use Instagram’s new Twitter rival Meta’s new Twitter rival app Threads gets over 5 million sign-ups How to get and use ‘Threads’, the biggest new social app Mark Zuckerberg launches his ‘Twitter killer’ app called Threads Judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms Meta’s Twitter alternative Threads to be launched this week

Meta rolled out Threads on Wednesday, July 5 in more than 100 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia

Meta’s new Twitter rival Threads has racked up over five million signups within the first four hours of its launch, the tech giant’s chief Mark Zuckerberg said. Threads arrives at a particularly difficult time for Elon Musk’s Twitter. The site has faced a range of technical issues in recent days, which it has blamed on AI services scraping its site. “Threads, an Instagram app” is already listed on the App Store. It aims to take on the app with a range of features that are similar to those offered by Twitter, according to its App Store listing. “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” it reads. “Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.” It is the latest in a long line of apps to try and take over from the increasingly troubled Twitter in offering text-based updates. Read More Instagram Threads: Meta launches its new Twitter rival amid terrible week for Elon Musk Instagram Threads: How to sign up for and use Meta’s new Twitter competitor New Meta app Threads launches in UK

The app is designed to provide a more intimate and streamlined experience for staying connected with your closest contacts on Instagram

When work began at the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne,

By Katie Paul NEW YORK (Reuters) -Meta's Mark Zuckerberg delivered a blow to Elon Musk on Wednesday night, as the

Threads, Instagram’s attempt to take over from Twitter, has finally arrived. The app is now available in more than 100 countries – though there are some notable exceptions – and can be downloaded and started up relatively easily. Here’s how to get started with the app, from downloading it to customising it to be exactly how you want it. Download the app Threads is now out for both iOS and Android, and downloading them should be straightforward. Its full names “Threads, an Instagram app” and it is readily available on both platform’s stores. You can find the App Store listing for iPhone here, and the Play Store listing for Android phones here. You can of course also search for the word “Threads”, though other apps might appear. There is some chance that clicking through to those listings might show that the app is not available. If so, that’s probably because it’s not available in your country; the app has not yet been launched in the EU, apparently because of data protection concerns related to the way that data will be passed between apps. Meta has not yet announced when people in those countries will be able to get the app. Sign in and set up Meta has built Threads to integrate with Instagram, and users can sign in with their existing accounts from that service. Opening up the app should show a user’s existing Instagram account, alongside the option to choose a new one, and clicking that begins the process of getting started. From there, users can customise their profile for Threads, choosing a name and adding a bio, or importing it from Instagram. The app will then ask about privacy settings and ask whether you want to follow accounts from Instagram, before opening up and getting started. Users might want to head into the settings to add any extra tweaks, such as blocking specific people or certain words. Other than that, the design is relatively straightforward – and should be very familiar to people who have used Instagram and Twitter already, since it is in essence a combination of the two. Users can make new posts by clicking in the bar at the bottom, or interact with existing ones by using the buttons underneath a post.

Facebook has tried to compete with Twitter in numerous ways over the years, including copying signature Twitter features such as hashtags and trending topics. But now Facebook's parent company is taking perhaps its biggest swipe at Twitter yet.

Meta has launched its new “Threads” app, widely thought to be an attempt to succeed Twitter. Threads is branded as an Instagram app and built by its team, but is focused on text updates, like Twitter. Users log into the separate app using their Instagram account and can then post up to 500 character text updates, which can also include photos and videos. Meta says that it has built the foundations of the app to be “open” and “interoperable” so that it can work alongside other social networks in the future. The company intends to support the ActivityPub technology that has been developed as a way of allowing other apps – such as Mastodon and Tumblr – to work together. Twitter was not mentioned in the announcement of Threads, despite its clear competition with the app. The launch of Threads comes at a difficult time for Twitter, which has faced serious technical issues and lost some of its central functionality in recent days. Threads is just the latest in a range of apps looking to take over from Twitter amid criticism of that service. Others, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, have struggled with technical issues and other problems. The launch also comes as Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg plots a mixed martial arts fight with Mr Musk. Meta said that Threads was intended to “take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas”. “Just like on Instagram, with Threads you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests – including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond,” it said in its announcement. A number of those influencers and celebrities had already signed up to post on Threads, Meta said. That included everyone from Netflix to Shakira, and from mixed martial arts champion Francis Ngannou to novelty song creators Ladbaby. For everyone else, Meta said the app had been built to be easy to get started with. While users must download the separate Threads app, they can use their existing Instagram account to log in, which will bring over their username and verification status, before their profile can be customised for Threads. Other data will be carried over from the main Instagram account, including profiles that have been blocked. Other safety features include the ability to block certain words or hide particular profiles. Like with Instagram, the Threads feed will push content from creators that people have not explicitly chosen to follow. The main Instagram app has received some criticism from users over its heavily algorithmic feed, with users arguing that the algorithm is pushing content that they would prefer not to see over updates from people they have actually opted to follow. The app is available in the US and UK at launch. It is not available in the European Union, apparently because of privacy concerns over the fact that data will be shared between different Meta apps. Perhaps the biggest departure from both rival services and other Meta apps is the decision to allow the app to be interoperable with other similar social platforms. By building on the ActivityPub protocol, Threads will allow users to take their posts into another app, for instance, or follow updates from different platforms. “Threads is Meta’s first app envisioned to be compatible with an open social networking protocol – we hope that by joining this fast-growing ecosystem of interoperable services, Threads will help people find their community, no matter what app they use,” Meta said in its announcement. The company has already announced that it plans to bring similar interoperable design to its existing, more popular apps, by integrating Instagram DMs with WhatsApp, for instance. Those tools are yet to be announced. Read More Meta to launch Threads app that will rival Twitter - live Judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms Meta’s Twitter alternative Threads to be launched this week Instagram and Facebook reveal how their AI decides what you see Celebrity impersonators banned from Facebook protest outside Meta offices Meta rejects accusation of censorship of language around female body

Mastercard says it is helping banks to stop payment scams in their tracks, before funds leave a victim’s account. The payments provider said that in partnership with UK banks including Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Monzo and TSB, it is using payments data to help identify payment scams. Mastercard’s new tool helps banks to get an instant rating that shows the risk of a payment being made to a fraudulent account. This is based on factors such as account activity and the relationship between the payer and payee. Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber and intelligence at Mastercard, said: “We are helping banks identify and predict which payments are being made to fraudsters and stop them in real-time.” Spotting fraudulent payments among millions made every day is like finding a needle in a haystack Paul Davis, TSB Over four months, TSB said that Mastercard’s tool has increased its fraud detection. Paul Davis, director of fraud prevention at TSB, said: “Spotting fraudulent payments among millions made every day is like finding a needle in a haystack, with scams becoming ever more complex – so prevention and monitoring tools are key. “Our partnership with Mastercard is providing the intelligence needed to identify fraudulent accounts and prevent payments ever reaching them.” The Financial Ombudsman Service recently said it is seeing a higher proportion of complex scam complaints, with some involving investments or cryptocurrency. It is seeing increasing numbers of complaints which contain the features of more than one scam. For example, someone may be duped by a romance scammer who then persuades them to invest in cryptocurrency schemes which do not exist. Or someone may attempt to pay for goods which do not exist and then receive a phone call from a scammer impersonating their bank who persuades them to make multiple payments by claiming their payment attempts have been unsuccessful. Many banks are currently signed up to a voluntary reimbursement code in cases where blameless scam victims transfer money to a fraudster, but there have been concerns about this not always being applied consistently. TSB has its own fraud refund guarantee. Plans are under way to make reimbursement mandatory. The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has said new rules compelling banks to reimburse scam victims who have been tricked into paying fraudsters will come into force next year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Art historian helps build new Assassin’s Creed game after son’s suggestion Twitter to stop TweetDeck access for unverified users Broadband customers plagued by issues despite inflation-busting price hikes