As the competition between Bluesky and Threads intensifies, Meta is introducing a new feature to Threads that will likely be familiar to Bluesky users: custom feeds. The Meta-owned service is beginning to test a feature that allows users to pin topic-based feeds to the home screen of the app.
This update will provide users with additional feeds beyond the algorithmic “For You” feed, which will remain the default view, and their “Following” feed. Users can create custom feeds by searching for a keyword, such as “skincare,” then tapping the “…” menu and selecting “Create New Feed.” These feeds can be further personalized by adding specific profiles of people whose posts users want to see in that feed. According to a Meta spokesperson, users can add up to 128 custom feeds in the app. However, this feature is still in the testing phase, so not all users have access to it yet.
The feature bears similarities to Bluesky’s custom feeds, which the company introduced last year. While Bluesky offers dozens of user-created algorithmic feeds, creating a new one remains a technical process. Meta’s version of the feature is more user-friendly and could address some users’ complaints about Threads’ main algorithmic feed.
This latest feature for Threads comes at a time when Bluesky has experienced significant growth. Although Bluesky is still much smaller than Threads, which boasts over 275 million users, Bluesky has been gaining momentum with just under 17 million users at the time of this writing.
The decentralized service added a million new users in the week following the election and another million new sign-ups in a single day this week. This is notable considering Threads has also been growing by about a million users a day, according to a recent post from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. If Bluesky can sustain this level of growth, Meta may feel even more pressure to adopt some ideas from its smaller rival.
