Meta's Threads Launches in EU Countries—Instagram Account No Longer Needed! But, Why the Long Wait?

After months of waiting, Meta's Threads finally launched in EU countries. This was confirmed by the tech giant firm on Thursday, Dec. 14.

Before the arrival of Twitter's competitor in the EU market, many sources spotted a countdown timer on the Threads website in the European Union. A new ticket on the Instagram EU server was also teased by Meta.

Finally, Meta officially released its popular Threads app in the EU, allowing European users to try the social media platform that other countries have been enjoying since July.

Meta's Threads Finally Arrives in EU Countries!

In July, Meta launched its Threads app in over 100 countries. These include the United Kingdom and the United States. However, EU nations were not included.

After almost six months of waiting, EU users can finally try the social media app. However, Meta didn't explain why it took so long for the social media platform to arrive in the European Union.

Although this is the case, EU users have better benefits compared to those in the U.S. and the U.K. This is because they can create Threads accounts without using their Instagram profiles.

According to 9To5Mac's latest report, Meta removed the Instagram account requirement in the EU version of Threads since regulators viewed it as "self-preferencing."

Numerous experts said this could be why the Threads app's launch in the region was delayed. They explained that the giant tech firm needed to make changes to comply with Europe's Digital Markets Act.

What EU Users Can Expect From Threads App

Using its official website, Meta confirmed that European Union users can create Threads accounts using their Instagram profiles or without them.

The American tech giant said that with or without linking their IG accounts, EU users can still enjoy the features that other Threads users experience.

This means that they can browse content, search accounts, do platform sharing (sharing content by copying links from other websites), and report Threads posts.

However, those who don't link their Instagram accounts can't post or interact with other content on the social media platform.

Meta said that since the app's first launch in July, it has been able to improve the platform drastically. Among the things that the company enhanced are the web experience, the ability to edit a post, search with keywords, Following Feeds, tag topics, etc.

"We're excited to see more people using Threads and will continue to listen to community feedback to further improve the experience for everyone," said Meta.