Meta’s Threads app looks set for an uphill climb if it’s ever to take the microblogging crown from Twitter, which is currently being rebranded as X.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told employees that despite its impressive start in early July when around 100 million people activated a Threads account in its first five days of availability, more than half of those users have stopped checking in.
The revelation came in a call to employees that was heard by Reuters.
“Obviously, if you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around,” Zuckerberg said in the call, adding: “We’re not there yet.”
The CEO didn’t seem too perturbed, however, describing the fall in user numbers as “normal” and saying that he believed Threads’ base will grow as the app adds new features, which could include a desktop version and the ability to search the platform’s content.
Threads got off to a flying start for two main reasons. First, there was a lot of buzz around the app just prior to launch. This created a high level of expectation among users of Twitter who’ve been unhappy with the way Elon Musk has been tampering with the platform since buying the company for $44 billion in October 2022.
And second, Threads has tight integration with Instagram — another Meta app with well over a billion users — making it easy for people to set up a Threads account, get followers, and find other accounts to follow.
Threads bore a striking resemblance to Twitter at launch, indeed, a lawyer acting on behalf of Musk’s business threatened to sue Meta for creating a “copycat” product. But at the start, Threads was pretty bare bones, lacking a number of features that you’d expect to see with such an app. Since then, however, its development team has been working to improve Threads’ usability. Just last week, for example, it added a Following feed that shows posts only from people you follow, offering users another option alongside the existing algorithmic feed.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.