Threads on the web wants to tempt you away from X

Threads, the social network created by Meta to try and destroy X, has been given a new home and a whole bunch of improvements that make it more tempting to switch from Elon Musk's megaphone.

The first change is that Threads has a new home – instead of threads.net it's now at threads.com. The dotcom domain was previously held by an app startup that wasn't keen on rebranding, so presumably Meta has since made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

The other updates are arguably more important. The threads website wasn't great, and Meta has made a lot of improvements to make it more useful and more X-like.

What changes has Threads made to its website?

Meta calls the redesign the Threads Web Experience, and there are several key improvements.

First of all, you can now get your custom feeds at the top of the web page in single column view. They appear in the same order that they do in the mobile app. And there's a new column icon at the right of the screen for adding new columns.

At long last you can now access your liked and saved posts via the main menu icon. And you can copy Threads posts as images rather than having to take screenshots, which is useful for reposting on other sites. And for easier post creation the + button brings up a pop-up composer that follows you as you scroll.

Meta really wants people to jump ship from X, so it's added a new feature that'll enable you to upload the list of people you follow on X and find them on Threads. That one's currently in testing but when fully rolled out should remove one of the biggest headaches for would-be switchers.

It's not all good news, though. Like the rest of Meta's social networks Threads has made its "hateful conduct" policy less protective of marginalised people, and Meta's own oversight board has criticised some of the company's moderation decisions and policies.