After Meta copied Twitter with Threads to major success, third parties are vying for an undeserved piece of the action. Apple has removed an app titled “Threads for Insta,” which is not actually the Threads app, but is instead an AI-powered content generator.
TechCrunch reported that Threads for Insta became one of the App Store’s most downloaded apps, having topped the charts in Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, and the Netherlands this week. Meta’s actual version of Threads is not yet available in the EU due to regulatory concerns, potentially explaining the popularity of the knockoff in those respective countries—users were likely duped into believing it was the legitimate Threads app or a way to access it. The app was created by the Israel-based SocialKit LTD, and was a content generator that used AI to generate posts, though its not clear what these posts look like or what platforms the app will develop them for. Apple also pulled all apps by SocialKit LTD, and suspended the company from publishing on the App Store.
SocialKit did not immediately return Gizmodo’s request for comment.
The outlet reports that Threads for Insta was downloaded 300,000 times, citing data from Sensor Tower, and that a majority of those downloads came from users in Europe. Threads for Insta is not the only Threads dupe that has tried to fool users into downloading it. “Threads: AI Chatbot & Keyboard” was among the other dupes spotted on the App Store, while a similar app titled “Threads by Instagram” was seen on the Google Play store published by a company called Alphabeticc.
Threads was unveiled as Meta’s Twitter killer and became available for download in the U.S. on July 5, and since then, the platform has garnered well over 100 million users, who are able to access it directly from Instagram. The app has not come without its fair share of issues, however. Meta is really trying to brand Threads as an apolitical “friendly place,” according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the rollout might have been too premature, as users who want to delete Threads will need to nuke their entire Instagram account.