• by Colin Kirkland , December 4, 2023

Threads, the social-messaging app Meta launched over the summer, is now outpacing X, the app formerly known as Twitter, in new downloads.

According to app data provider Apptopia, Threads' daily downloads began gaining traction over the past week after months of declining interest due to the tech giant running new ads for its Twitter-competitor.

Since Thursday, November 23, Threads' daily downloads have almost doubled from the beginning of the month, with 620,000 downloads compared to 350,000. In addition, X, as well as its app for emerging markets, Twitter Lite, have received a total of 27 million new downloads since September, while Threads has received 41 million.

Apptopia's report shows a large portion of Threads downloads coming from outside the U.S.

Downloads from India are highest, accounting for 11.2% (approximately 9.2 million) of new downloads, while U.S. downloads rank second, with 7.4% (approximately 6.1 million) of downloads. India has also been the highest driver of growth for Instagram, the Meta-owned app that users must use to access Threads.

Not surprisingly, Apptopia references X's 2022 rebrand as a major factor in the app's loss of user interest and new downloads. In late September, about five months after its rebrand, X changed its description from “Blaze your glory,” to “Formerly Twitter,” in Apple's App Store to improve its overall ranking.

Media strategist Eric Seufert found that X fell from the 35th most downloaded app on the app store to the 54th immediately after the rebrand in April 2023.

Now, X is facing a mass exodus of ad partners, including Disney, Apple, IBM, Paramount, Comcast/NBCU, Warner Bros, Songy, Lionsgate, Paris Hilton's 11:11 Media, and, over the< weekend, Walmart, after Musk embraced antisemitic posts on the app and told advertisers to go "f-" themselves at the New York Times DealBook Summit last week.

While advertisers continue to pause and abandon ad spend on X, it is unknown whether or not major brands will flock to Threads. As of now, Meta has not launched ad capability on the social messaging app. Once it does, it will be interesting to see how many brands make use of the budding platform, and how many brands will leave X behind.