It is not yet known why Instagram decided to pull the plug on Threads

Instagram: Instagram’s Snapchat-like messaging app called Threads is about to be discontinued. Threads had been launched in 2019, but now that the decision has been made to close the curtains on it, users would now be prompted to move back to the original Instagram app. The support for Threads will end by the time 2022 rolls around, and an in-app notice regarding the closure of the app would begin to be rolled out starting November 23. Though this development had been noticed by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi first, it has now been confirmed by Instagram.

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For those not well versed with it, Threads was a standalone app developed by Instagram and it was launched in October 2019 as an image-centric messaging app for both Android as well as iOS platforms. It seemed to bear some resemblance with highly popular Snapchat, because like the latter, it allowed users to share images and videos with close friends in visual form. Last year, however, it expanded and moved beyond only close friends, and allowed users to message anyone on Instagram.

It is not yet known why Instagram decided to pull the plug on Threads, but reports have suggested that the platform will now rather explore and enhance how users can connect with their close friends on Instagram itself. A Meta spokesperson was cited by Gadgets 360 as saying that the unique and fun features of Threads would now be brought to Instagram app itself, to make it easier for people to have all of these features and abilities in the single app.

But this is not the only development. Instagram is also going to begin testing a feature that would let users add music to their feed posts, be it photos or videos. This means that Instagram is looking to expand its audio features beyond just Reels and Stories, and this feature would let users add a music track alongside their feed post. The feature would first be tested in select countries, and yes! India is one of them, along with Turkey and Brazil. In all of these countries, only some users would get access to this feature.

Once the platform gets feedback from this community, only then will it decide if it would be expanded and rolled out for all customers or not.

The select users would know if they have this feature enabled for them or not because once they begin uploading a photo or video on their Instagram, they would get the option to Add Music to it, where they would be able to select a song, if they want, to post along with the feed. Users would be able to browse for music in ‘Trending’ or ‘For You’ sections, or even look for songs using the search bar. Once the users finds the song of their choice and adds it to their post, they would also be able to select the duration of the clip to decide how long the song would play.