Instagram will shut down its not-so-famous Threads app by the end of 2021, Meta (formally known as Facebook) has confirmed to TechCrunch. The app will begin showing a prompt to the users from 23rd November, asking them to return to the main Instagram app.

Instagram launched its Threads app in October 2019. The company had a similar vision for the Threads app as Facebook had for Messenger — luring consumers to use a dedicated Instagram DM app that has some exclusive features. However, the app wasn't as successful as Instagram had hoped. And now, TechCrunch has reported that Instagram has plans of shutting down the app next month.

Instagram says that all of the "exclusive" features available on the Threads app will be available on Instagram DM soon. In a statement to The Verge, Instagram spokesperson Christine Pai said, "We know that people care about connecting with their close friends, and we’ve seen this, particularly over the past few years with the growth of messaging on Instagram. We’re now focusing our efforts on enhancing how you connect with close friends on Instagram and deprecating the Threads app.”

The move makes sense as well. Not a lot of users were using the Threads app. The app only had just over 200,000 users last year and just over 13.7 million global installs — a small figure for a social media platform with billions of users. A similar trend was shown by its App Store ranking as well — the app ranked No. 214 in the Photo & Video category on the U.S. App Store.

In addition, the move makes sense as the company is in the process of unifying its messaging apps. Instagram DM and Messenger are now cross-platform. Moreover, the company is looking to incorporate WhatsApp into cross-platform messaging as well. It only makes sense to shut down the Threads app — the app which only worked with Instagram's DM.

Via: TechCrunch, The Verge