Threads Traffic Dips After Initial Surge in Interest

Traffic to Threads app for Android users has been on a downward trend, according to SimilarWeb. The internet analytics provider recorded 49.3 million users accessing the app on July 7, a day after Threads’ official launch. But by July 10, daily active users fell to 36.6 million.

“Additionally, the average amount of time Threads users in the US spent on the app dropped from about 20 minutes on July 6 to just over 8 minutes on July 10,” the company told PCMag. The same decrease in time spent occurred for users on a global basis.

Android metrics for Threads users on a global basis. Average time spent is counted in seconds. (Credit: SimilarWeb)

SensorTower, another company that tracks app usage, also reports that traffic to Threads appears to be waning. The company told(Opens in a new window) CNBC that the number of daily active users to the Twitter rival was down about 20% from Saturday. Time spent had also decreased by 50%.

The findings suggest users were willing to sign up and check out Threads, but are less interested in sticking around. That’s not a great sign, but Instagram Head Adam Mosseri is well aware of the challenges. “So humbled by everyone signing up, but we gotta make sure this is an app people want to keep using before we worry about making money,” he wrote last week.

On the flip side, the falling traffic stands to benefit Twitter, which company owner Elon Musk has been overhauling to focus on free speech. In contrast, Threads is trying to build a public forum, but without the negativity of hard news and politics.

Meta is also preparing a number of new features that could help drive interest into the app, including an edit button and a desktop mode. Threads is currently only available on Android and iOS apps. The web version works in read-only mode.