• by Colin Kirkland , February 26, 2024

Meta's microblogging app Threads is focused on bulking up its app in order to retain its user base and compete with similar apps like X, formerly known as Twitter.

After launching a trending topics list, drafting capabilities and an in-app camera, the platform has announced a bookmarking feature that will allow users to privately save posts for future reference.

“To save a post on Threads, tap the three-dot menu. You'll be able to see the posts you've saved in Settings,” the company posted in a recent thread.

To keep up with the unrelenting proliferation of content on a user's feed, bookmarking posts can help users express interest in long articles, opinion pieces, images and videos they may want to return to at a later date.

Like most of Threads' new features, bookmarking mirrors a popular action on X, where paying subscribers can sort their saved content into organized folders. Meta is focused on appealing to users who are bouncing back and forth between platforms -- and especially those who have decided to fully abandon X for Threads.

Its trending topics list is one of X's most integral features.

However, while the allure of Threads' copycat features may help ex-X users feel more comfortable viewing the app as a worthy substitute, the platform is still committed to setting itself apart.

With the presidential election fast approaching in the U.S., Meta announced that users will not be able to seek out political debate on Threads. This  further distances it from X, which slashed its content-moderation team and is expected to become a hotbed of misinformation and political toxicity.

In addition, Threads is exploring the idea of federation by joining the ActivityPub Protocol, further aligning itself with decentralized X-competitors like Mastodon and Bluesky.

In July, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that the company is committed to building support for ActivityPub but was not able to finish it for launch. “But it's coming,” he added.

The company is also testing a new feature that allows users to share their Threads posts between both Facebook and Instagram, further unifying Meta's family of apps.

Threads' bookmarks feature is rolling out now to its 130 million monthly users.