English-speaking countries gain access to Threads keyword search

Instagram Threads users have reason to celebrate as the search feature, previously tested in Australia and New Zealand, is now expanding to numerous English and Spanish-speaking nations. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, the company responsible for Threads, announced this exciting development. Consequently, individuals residing in countries such as Argentina, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States can now utilize the fundamental search function within Threads.

A step towards the perfect social network

This search feature is a big step forward for Threads, which is trying to become the perfect social network. In his Threads post, Mark Zuckerberg also hinted that more updates are coming soon, potentially bringing this search feature to even more countries. However, it is important to note that not all European Union countries are included in this extension. That’s because Meta faces challenges related to new regulations on protecting user data online in the EU, according to a report by 9to5Mac.

Prior to this update, Threads had a limited search feature that helped users find other Threads users, not their posts or content. But now, full-text search allows users to search for specific keywords and topics that have been discussed on the platform, not just people.

Instagram’s ongoing efforts to increase engagement

This expansion of Threads search is part of Instagram’s efforts to make its app more attractive to users. Threads started strong and quickly reached 100 million users. It did this by connecting new users to Instagram, its parent app, to help them easily gain followers and follow other users.

Since its launch, Threads has added some new features like a chronological feed, a place to see your likes, a reposts tab, and other small improvements. However, to compete with platforms like Twitter (now X), users are looking for features like lists, bookmarks, and trends.

Without the features like search and trends that made Twitter a place for global conversations, Threads is missing something crucial. X (formerly Twitter) doesn’t just show updates; it also highlights trending topics and breaking news. While Threads is enjoyable to browse, especially with the panorama feature, it still doesn’t feel like a real-time news network.