As competition between Bluesky and Threads intensifies, Meta is adding a new feature to Threads that Bluesky users will be familiar with: custom feeds. The Meta-owned service has begun testing a feature that allows users to pin topic-based feeds to the app’s home screen.
This change will provide people with additional feeds beyond the algorithm’s “for you” and “following feeds,” which will remain the default view. Users can add a custom feed by searching for a keyword such as “skincare,” then tapping the “…” menu and selecting “Create new feed.” These feeds can be further customized by adding specific profiles of people whose posts you want to see in that feed. A Meta spokesperson said users can add up to 128 custom feeds to the app, but it’s still in the testing phase so not all users have access to it yet.
The feature is similar in many ways to the Bluesky custom feeds the company introduced last year. However, while the app has many user-created algorithmic feeds, creating new feeds is still a technical process. However, the functionality of Meta’s version is simpler. It may also address some user complaints about Threads’ primary algorithmic feed.
The latest Threads feature comes during an especially strong month for Bluesky. While the service is still much smaller than Threads, which has more than 275 million users, Bluesky, which has just under 17 million users as of this writing, is gaining momentum. The decentralized service added 1 million new users and another 1 million new sign-ups in the week after the election. one day this week. This is surprising considering that Threads is also growing by about 1 million users per day, according to a recent post from Instagram head Adam Mosseri. If Blue Sky can sustain that level of growth for a very long time, the meta may feel even more pressure to borrow ideas from smaller rivals.
