- Code strings in the latest Threads Android app suggest Threads DMs are coming soon.
- As one would expect, the direct messaging system could just be Instagram’s, further solidifying the connections between the two platforms.
- It’s unclear what this could mean for Threads’ promise of ActivityPub integration, which is in the testing phase.
Threads has come a long way to become the most viable X (formerly Twitter) alternative. One missing feature, though, is the ability to message people you know on Threads privately. Now, an APK teardown of the latest version of the Threads Android app shows hints that private messaging could be on the way — and it could just be Instagram’s private messaging system.
Before we get into the code, let’s give a little background. In November last year, Threads lead Adam Mosseri posted a thread saying that he was reluctant to build a dedicated direct messaging system into Threads, mostly because the Instagram platform already has one. The problem he foresaw, though, was “notification routing weirdness,” meaning the problem of someone DMing you on Threads and you getting a notification there and on Instagram. The alternative — building a dedicated Threads DM system — didn’t appeal to Mosseri either due to “redundant message threads.” Of the two ideas, Mosseri admitted that “neither seems great.”