Meta's Threads just rolled out group messaging for up to 50 people globally, while finally bringing its messaging features to European users after months of delays. The move transforms the X competitor - which now boasts 400 million monthly users - into a more complete social platform as Instagram refocuses around messaging and Reels.
Meta's Threads is making its biggest messaging push yet. The platform just launched group chats for up to 50 people worldwide, while simultaneously bringing direct messaging to European users who've been locked out since the feature debuted this summer.
The timing isn't coincidental. Meta is transforming Threads from a simple text-sharing app into a full messaging platform, mirroring what's happening across its family of apps. Parent company Instagram recently refocused its entire interface around Reels and DMs after discovering these were the features users engaged with most.
"We see messaging as a way for people to connect more deeply with the people they're already having conversations with - it's really about going deep with people who share your interests," Threads VP of Product Management Emily Dalton Smith told reporters during a group chat demo session earlier this week.
The group chat rollout puts Threads in direct competition with X's messaging strategy, though the platforms are taking opposite approaches to security. While X has been pushing users toward encrypted XChat (which security researchers warn isn't as trustworthy as Signal), Meta is deliberately keeping Threads messages unencrypted.
That's because Meta sees Threads DMs as casual conversation starters - think discussing a live football game or TV show reactions - rather than secure communications. Users 18 and older can share the same content types available on the public timeline: text posts, videos, GIFs, and emojis.
The platform is implementing stricter controls for group chats than individual DMs. Users must already be following someone before that person can add them to a group chat. Individual messages from non-followers simply land in a Message Requests folder, but group invites require that existing relationship.
Meta is also planning to roll out shareable invite links for group chats, making it easier for members of Threads Communities - the platform's new interest-based groups feature - to connect privately. Users will be able to name their group chats and manage membership through these upcoming link invitations.
The data reveals how Threads is carving out its own identity separate from Instagram. Smith noted that more than a third of daily Threads users follow less than half the number of people they follow on Instagram, suggesting users are building "Threads-first" connections around shared interests rather than existing social networks.
For European users, the messaging rollout represents the end of a months-long wait. Threads initially delayed its EU messaging launch due to regulatory considerations, but users across Europe will now get access to both individual and group chats simultaneously over the next few days.
The move comes at a critical moment for social platform messaging. As traditional social feeds become increasingly algorithmic and ad-heavy, platforms are betting that private messaging will drive deeper engagement and user retention. Instagram's recent interface redesign puts DMs front and center, while Meta continues expanding messaging across its entire ecosystem.
With 400 million monthly active users, Threads represents Meta's most successful new product launch in years. The group messaging addition signals the platform's evolution from a Twitter alternative into a comprehensive social experience that blends public conversation with private connection.
The group messaging launch positions Threads as a serious competitor in the social platform wars, offering users a middle ground between public posting and private conversation. With EU expansion and upcoming invite link features, Meta is clearly betting that messaging will be the key to turning Threads' impressive user numbers into sustained engagement. As social platforms increasingly compete on intimate connection rather than viral content, Threads' unencrypted, interest-based messaging approach could prove either prescient or problematic depending on how users actually want to communicate in 2025.
