InstagramThreads' growth stalled last year, leading some to prematurely wonder if the app was dead, but contrary to reality, it's now gaining momentum. New data shows that Threads continues to grow, with downloads tripling in December compared to the previous month, making it into the top 10 most downloaded apps of the month on both the App Store and Google Play.
According to data from app intelligence company Appfigures, "Threads" had 12 million new downloads in December 2023, ranking No. 4 on the Apple App Store's download rankings. It has also been downloaded 16 million times on Google Play, ranking 8th. It ranks 6th in terms of new installs in both app stores. In other words, it's far from dead.
Threads had record-breaking success upon launch, with 100 million registered users in the first five days. However, daily downloads of the app have been declining from September last year to the end of this year. But in December, Threads resumed growth again, most likely due to Meta showing ads on Facebook that featured viral posts from Threads, giving the app a boost. According to one tracking agency, Threads currently has an estimated 160 million users. The number of active users may also be up compared to the last time Meta updated the app in its October earnings report, when the company said Threads had fewer than 100 million monthly active users. (Meta will announce its next earnings report on February 1).
The app may also benefit from its entry into the "fediverse" (a social network consisting of interconnected servers that communicate via the ActivityPub protocol, such as Mastodon). While Threads has been slow to integrate with ActivityPub, knowing that it will soon become a place for users to interact with another sizable community, and that many former Twitter users will be here, could help improve Threads' reputation and adoption.
Additionally, Threads recently announced the launch of an endpoint that allows developers of third-party applications and websites to repopulate text into the Threads compositor using dynamic URLs. For example, now anyone can generate Threads sharing links and profile badges on a website. Marketing tools provider Shareaholic has also just launched Threads sharing buttons for websites, both desktop and mobile.
The flurry of activity surrounding Threads helped boost the app's ranking on the charts, but given its size, some inorganic push from Meta itself may also be responsible for the jump in downloads.
While Threads was in the top 10 by downloads last month, it didn't crack the top five... its parent company did.
Instagram became the most downloaded application in December, with a total of 54 million installations on the App Store and Google Play, surpassing TikTok to take the first place. This could be an early sign that people are growing weary of TikTok's push into e-commerce, which has turned the video app into an influencer's QVC. TikTok remains a popular app, but its growth has begun to slow as consumers complain that TikTok Shop ruins the app experience.
Instagram's TikTok rival Reels now appears to be benefiting from the backlash. As for Threads' direct competitor X, the company formerly known as Twitter is still feeling the effects of its rebranding -- although X added "formerly Twitter" to its App Store listings in September to keep its old name higher in search results.
According to Appfigures, the app had only an estimated 8.5 million installs in December. It ranks 29th on the AppStore and 46th on Google Play by downloads. Data shows that this lags far behind other top social networking apps and even behind productivity apps like Zoom.