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Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram

At launch, DMs will be available in most markets where Threads is available, except for Japan, Australia, the U.K., and the E.U.

They’ll support one-on-one chats, preset emoji reactions, the ability to report spam, and mute DMs (as on Instagram). With the addition of DMs, Threads becomes more competitive with other text-first social apps like X and Bluesky, where users can engage with one another directly or even in group chats, as in X’s case. Instead, she said that DMs are meant to build on the community people have created in the public space on Threads — a network that’s shaping up to be entirely different from its parent app, Instagram, Smith pointed out.

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