Instagram head says Threads API is in the works

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said today that a Threads API is in the works. This will give chance to developers to create different apps and experiences around Threads.

Mosseri was responding to journalist Casey Newton, who was conversing with a user about a TweetDeck-like experience for Threads. The Instagram head expressed apprehension about publishers posting a bunch of content and in turn, overshadowing creator content.

“We’re working on it. My concern is that it’ll mean a lot more publisher content and not much more creator content, but it still seems like something we need to get done,” Mosseri said in a post.

Threads have taken a stance on news content by saying it is not “anti-news” but it “won’t actively amplify news.” Historically, news publications have relied on third-party tools and integrations with different social networks to automatically post on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. With the lack of availability of APIs on newer platforms like Threads, publishers have to manually post content, which is not ideal for news organizations posting a bunch of articles per day.

While Mosseri is concerned about publishers pushing an overwhelming amount of content through API integration, creators also need different tools to post various formats of content. It makes it easier for developers to make features suited for a platform if there is an API integration.

With social networks such as Twitter (now X) and Reddit making it difficult for third-party developers to create clients, Threads can open up its API for a healthy app ecosystem. Developers have made some clients for rival networks such as Bluesky and Mastodon. However, both networks comparatively have a smaller user base than Threads.

Earlier this week, Meta said that Threads has just under 100 million monthly active users. An API and a third-party app ecosystem won’t necessarily push that number forward, but it will give ways for people to explore the network in alternative ways. The Threads teams have shipped many features in the last few months post-launch. However, if there is a third-party app ecosystem in place, developers can use various ship features users are looking for.

What’s more, Meta and Mosseri have talked about integrating Threads with the Fedisverse. So an open ecosystem with a well-maintained API would be a good step towards getting to that goal.