Instagram to reportedly launch text-based app to rival Twitter

In a concealed gathering with prime creators, Instagram’s genitor company, Meta, reportedly revealed its program to motorboat a text-based speech app. The leaked screenshots of the alleged upcoming app amusement a idiosyncratic interface akin to Twitter.

Instagram’s program to rival Twitter was uncovered by Lia Haberman, an influencer selling and societal media selling teacher astatine the University of California, Los Angeles Extension. According to Haberman, though the text-based app is built connected apical of Instagram, it is decentralized and volition relation arsenic a abstracted app. The app volition besides beryllium compatible with different decentralized societal media apps similar Mastodon, allowing users to scope much audiences.

The upcoming app volition support a Twitter-like centralized feed, allowing users to presumption contented specified arsenic text, images and videos shared by followers and recommended accounts. Each text-based station volition beryllium constricted to a connection number of 500 characters.

Screenshots of Instagram’s caller text-based app. Source: Twitter

While the app rivaling Twitter volition relation independently of Instagram, creator controls and relationship information features, specified arsenic blocked accounts and keywords, volition transportation implicit to the caller app.

Confirmed with sources that Instagram is moving connected a Twitter rival (a abstracted app) for merchandise this summer. It mightiness yet beryllium compatible with unfastened solutions similar Mastodon. Credit to @liahaberman @MattNavarra @CaseyNewton for earlier deets https://t.co/f2KNITGZy6

Bloomberg newsman Sarah Frier reportedly confirmed the improvement of Instagram’s Twitter-like app from insiders. Meta archetypal confirmed plans to make a standalone decentralized societal network in March erstwhile it said, “We’re exploring a standalone decentralized societal web for sharing substance updates. We judge there’s an accidental for a abstracted abstraction wherever creators and nationalist figures tin stock timely updates astir their interests.”

Related: Meta pulling the plug connected NFTs crossed Instagram and Facebook

With a imaginativeness to impart further decentralization successful the internet, TBD — a part of Jack Dorsey’s fintech institution Block — announced a Web5 decentralized web level that aims to present “decentralized individuality and information storage” to applications.

To facilitate this decentralized web experience, TBD’s web5 level volition present respective cardinal components and employment the usage of decentralized identifiers.