Instagram launches 'Threads' messaging app

Instagram on Thursday released Threads, a new stand-alone photo messaging app for private messages between friends - similar to Facebook's Messenger. The camera-focused app allows Instagram users to share their status or quickly send photos and videos to people they've added to their list of close friends.

The app also offers the ability to set a status, or an auto status which "automatically shares little bits of context on where you are without giving away your coordinates." For example, it could show when you're at home.

"For your smaller circle of friends, we saw the need to stay more connected throughout the day, so you can communicate what you're doing and how you're feeling through photos and videos," the company said in a blog post. "That's why we built Threads, a new way to message with close friends in a dedicated, private space."

Facebook has been focusing on Instagram, its fastest-growing revenue generator, as its core platform has been under fire from regulators regarding privacy and spread of misinformation or fake news. Precise location information collected for auto status will be specific to Threads and will not be used for ads, Facebook said.

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