Explainer: Understanding the ‘ticket’ for Threads on Instagram

Here is everything you need to know:

Is Threads already available in India?

The Threads app is linked to Meta’s massively popular photo and video sharing app, Instagram. As such, Instagram users have begun receiving prompts to sign up and create a profile on Threads.

Interestingly, word regarding the launch of Threads was not officially released by Meta, instead the app quietly showed up on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, with 6 July listed as the date of the launch.

Now, with over 12 hours into the app becoming available in India, many users reported gaining access to the platform. However, some have since said that access to Threads is currently restricted, with their Instagram ‘ticket’ to the app saying that they would gain access only after 0730pm.

How do you get this ‘ticket’?

By now, most users are able to directly access Threads by downloading the app, and signing in with their Instagram login credentials. The first-time login also prompts users to either use their Instagram account details such as a link in bio, and bio details following which they are redirected to the homepage.

However, if you are not able to access the platform, getting a ‘ticket’ to Threads from Instagram may help. Here’s how:

> Login to the Instagram app on your phone

> Go to the ‘Explore’ feed, and search ‘Threads’ at the top search bar

> A red ticket icon will appear to the right of the search bar — tap on this icon

> An expanded ticket will open, containing your Instagram profile name, a serial number, a QR code that can be scanned to download the Threads app on your phone, and a date and time stamp

This process guarantees access to the Threads app for you, at least at the mentioned time.

Can you sign in without the invite?

By now, yes. While the ticket to Threads interface is still present on Instagram, you will mostly not need this invite to sign up on Threads. At least six users whom Mint spoke with confirmed that they could directly sign in to their account on the platform, without needing a ‘ticket’ on Instagram.

Will you retain your Instagram followers on Threads?

Threads will not automatically import all your followers over from Instagram — who follows you will depend on what users select when signing in. However, you will be prompted to follow all the accounts that you also follow on Instagram when setting up your account.

What data will be collected, and what is the ‘fediverse’ that the app speaks of?

Meta has disclosed that the company will use a user’s metadata from the app, like on Instagram, to serve you targeted advertisements on the latter. Threads, at this moment, remains free of any ads.

However, Threads offers a prompt while signing up that the app will, in future, become a part of the ‘fediverse’. The latter is loosely defined as a network of individual, proprietary social media platforms that exist on different servers, and can be interoperated.

Fediverse is a concept of a decentralised social media network of multiple platforms, where users can cross-operate and communicate across different platforms, instead of the platforms creating data harvesting silos.

How has the initial reaction to Threads been?

After its introduction, Zuckerberg, on his Facebook page, said that Threads garnered over 5 million registrations within the first four hours of the app being launched. At the time of writing, Zuckerberg affirmed that the platform has crossed 10 million sign-ups in seven hours. 

The app’s primary rival is Twitter, which as per Statista data from December, had just over 368 million monthly active users (MAUs). Threads is likely to gain advantage from being closely integrated with Instagram. Statista’s data from 15 February said that while the latter had over 1.2 billion MAUs by end of 2021, the figure is likely to be close to 1.35 billion by the end of this year.

For perspective, OpenAI’s popular chatbot application ChatGPT set a new global record of being the fastest to reach 100 million MAUs in within two months since being launched publicly.

Twitter, on the other hand, is projected to see a decline in its user base. The Statista report from December 2022 expects Twitter to have 335 million MAUs at the end of next year.

Updated: 06 Jul 2023, 01:55 PM IST