Group chats added to Threads as Messaging rolls out to the EU

Shortly after adding direct messages this summer, Instagram Threads added support for group messaging with up to 50 people. The Meta-owned X competitor currently has more than 400 million monthly active users, and starting today, group chats will be available to users around the world. We also plan to bring the messaging experience to users in the EU, which was initially delayed.

Within group chats, Threads users 18 and older can share text posts, videos, GIFs, and emojis, as well as on public timelines.

Emily Dalton Smith, Threads’ vice president of product management, explained in a group chat session with reporters earlier this week that group chats, like individual direct messages (DMs), are not encrypted. Instead, the company sees Threads DM less as a secure messaging service and more as a way for people to connect about whatever they’re talking about, like the football game or the TV show they’re watching.

“We think of messaging as a way for people to connect more deeply with the people they’re already talking to. It’s really about engaging deeply with people who have the same interests,” Smith said in a conversation while showing off the new feature and answering questions about its functionality and purpose.

The changes come as Threads’ parent company, Instagram, refocuses the app on Reels and DMs, as the company has identified these as the features that users are most interested in. Not surprisingly, messaging is also becoming a core part of Threads apps.

Its biggest competitor, X, is doing something similar, but its focus is on moving users to XChat, an end-to-end encrypted chat service. Security researchers say it’s not as reliable as Signal.

Threads says users will have some control over who can start group chats, similar to DMs. Smith said users must follow someone before they can add you to a group chat. This is more restrictive than how threaded DMs work, as individual messages from people you don’t follow just go to your message request folder instead of your main inbox.

However, individual DMs have other limitations. Links and media are also disabled in message requests, and the number of requests users can send is limited. Additionally, users can turn off message requests from people they don’t follow, and potential spam is further filtered and moved to a hidden folder.

Users can also name their group chats and be able to invite others by sharing a link to the chat rather than adding them individually later. This may make it easier for members to connect with others within a particular community. A new feature to find groups of interest on the app.

Smith also pointed out that people use Threads to connect with different people than they do on Instagram. For example, more than a third of people who use Threads daily follow less than half the number of people they follow on Instagram. The company believes this suggests people are making more “thread-first” connections on the app.

In addition to group chat, Messaging will also be coming to the EU in the coming days, and users in this market will have access to both individual and group chats at launch.