Threads is adding live chats to boost real-time engagement

The Meta-owned platform announced Wednesday that Threads is launching “Live Chats” to allow real-time conversations during cultural events. The company says the idea behind the new feature is to help make the app feel more relevant and timely.

Live chats launch first within the NBA Threads community during the playoffs. Media personalities, including Malika Andrews, Rachel Nichols and Da Kid Gowie, will host live chats during the matches.

The company told TechCrunch via email that it is initially rolling out the feature to a small group of creators. Not all users will be able to start a live chat right away, but Meta plans to expand access over time.

Users can send messages, photos, videos, links and emoji reactions. Up to 150 participants can actively send messages in the chat. Once this limit is reached, additional users can still view the conversation, respond to messages, and participate in polls in Spectator mode.

When Threads first launched, it lagged behind X when it came to relevance and timeliness; It was difficult to keep track of what was currently happening in the world. Company X had already established itself as a global “town square” of sorts, and was known for real-time commentary and breaking news. On the other hand, Topics struggled because it lacked many of the features that X provides, such as powerful search, hashtags, and a chronological feed.

Over time, Threads has built its platform around these tools, and now it’s looking to better compete with X by adding a feature that even the Elon Musk-owned app doesn’t have, a feature specifically designed for real-time sharing.

“It’s a new way to build a community with others around shared interests like releasing an album or a big game as soon as it comes out,” Mita explained in a blog post. “Live chats are an extension of what’s already happening in Threads — and a new way for creators and fans to connect about what matters to them in real time. Live chats are more dynamic than traditional group chats because they’re designed for real-time conversations about cultural moments as they happen.”

Users can join live chats from the top of the community feed, through a shared post in their main feed, or by tapping the red live ring around the host’s profile photo. Although live conversations end after a certain time, they generally remain open and discoverable after they end, Meta says.

The company told TechCrunch that threads will automatically detect and remove messages that violate its policies, and anyone in the chat can report messages. Additionally, hosts have controls for real-time moderation and can demote users to spectator mode or remove them from the chat.

As for the future, Meta says it will update Live Chats with several new features, including shared hosting, real-time gameplay updates, lock screen widgets that highlight live chat activity, and the ability to quote and share chat messages directly to Threads feeds.

While Mita noted that the feature can also be used for things like album drops, there’s potential for live chat to be used in many other settings — like upcoming FIFA World Cup matches, award shows, TV show finals, and more.