Threads Adds Alternate Feeds, Search Updates, Other New Features

Meta’s Threads is rolling out several updates aimed at enhancing user experience and staying competitive, particularly in light of Bluesky’s rising popularity. These changes come ahead of the busy holiday season and include updates to trending topics, search capabilities, and user interface tweaks.

Threads is testing an expansion of its trending topics feature, introducing AI-generated summaries for each trend. Currently, Threads displays five trending topics for U.S. users, but the update will expand this list and offer concise descriptions powered by Meta’s AI. According to Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, this enhancement aims to provide users with more context about trending discussions while maintaining access to the original posts driving the trends. This feature mirrors similar efforts by Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing AI-driven summaries of popular topics.

Search functionality is also getting a significant upgrade. Users will now have access to filters allowing them to search within specific date ranges or focus on posts from individual accounts. This improvement addresses a frequent request from social media managers and enhances the platform’s usability for locating specific content. Another notable update includes support for viewing videos in landscape mode, catering to users interested in sports highlights and other immersive video experiences.

Additionally, Threads is tweaking its feed navigation. Users will soon see all feed options – such as “Following,” “For You,” and custom lists – directly on the home screen for easier access. This change eliminates the previous swipe-based interaction for liking or filtering content, opting instead for traditional tap-based controls. Alongside that, users also have rebalanced content rankings, meaning that they’re more likely to see posts from people they follow rather than suggested posts.

These updates appear to respond to Bluesky’s appeal, which is likely based on how close it is to X (and, in some ways, previous versions of Twitter). Threads’ rapid changes and updates in the latter half of the year have included some features directly parallel to those on Bluesky and X, which could lead to Threads becoming a much closer competitor to the other two platforms in the near future.