Instagram Threads, Meta's competitor to Elon Musk's X, is testing ways to make replies to other people's posts less obtrusive on the platform.
The company is adding a new privacy feature that lets you customize your profile and remove the tab that displays your replies. This leaves only two tabs showing posts and reposts.
This addition gives you the option to make your profile and thread usage more private without having to switch to a completely private profile. This limits the visibility of your post to your followers and the people you choose to reply to.
Threads' main “For You” feed provides a variety of posts with replies, but they're unlikely to be shown by the algorithm and already have reduced visibility. Providing the ability to prevent others from seeing your replies on your profile makes it even more difficult for others to surface your replies.
Image credit: Thread screenshot
The feature was first discovered by Threads user and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who said the option will be rolled out to the iOS app. An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the option to show or hide replies is something the company recently started testing with a “small group of people” and has not yet rolled out publicly. .
To check if you have this feature, go to your Threads user profile.[プロフィールの編集]Click the button and[返信を表示]Scroll down to the option labeled . By default, this is enabled, but you can switch it off. The company says that even if you disable reply publishing, you can still view replies from the Threads app settings, as well as other types of content such as saved items, likes, and archives.
This isn't the only reply control that Threads introduces. The company previously announced a way to limit who can reply to your posts, allowing you to choose only anyone, profiles you follow, or people you mention – similar to X.
Hiding more personal interactions, such as replies, can potentially increase engagement among Threads users. Similarly, X chose to make everyone's likes private earlier this year. This allows users to more comfortably engage with your content and also helps inform X recommendations.