The new Threads app arrived with a bang on Thursday with millions instantly signing up - but users have found one pretty big flaw with the current version.
The new app from Meta has already been dubbed the 'Twitter-killer' due to its similar functions, and can only be set up by users with an existing Instagram account.
The launch of the app was preceded by a lot of hype, especially after recent changes to the Twitter user experience since Elon Musk bought out the platform.
Millions flocked to create their own accounts on the platform on July 6 as it launched - but some soon found out that there was no way to delete your account on Threads without also getting rid of your Instagram account, too.
Many had opted to try out the new platform after Musk announced the temporary introduction of "rate limits", putting a cap on the maximum number of tweets a user could read, depending on if they were verified or unverified, and how recently they'd set up their account.
It was cited that the reason for the limit was due to "extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation" from AI companies.
After 10 million people signed up to Threads in seven hours, according to owner Mark Zuckerberg, some tried to leave the platform as quickly as they'd arrived and delete their account - only to find they couldn't.
According to Threads's Supplemental Privacy Policy and a Help Centre page, if a user wishes to delete their Threads account, their Instagram account will also be deleted as the two are linked.
When signing up for Threads, users must have an existing Instagram account and it allows them to then import bio information and followers from the same profile.
Within the Help Centre, it also stated that users can delete individual posts or temporarily deactivate their account, thus hiding their posts from other users, until they reactivate their account.
A Supplemental Privacy Policy also states, via Insider: "Your Threads profile is part of your Instagram account, and may be deleted at any time by deleting your Instagram account."
After users voiced their concerns, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri confirmed: "I've been getting some questions about deleting your account.
"To clarify, you can deactivate your Threads account, which hides your Threads profile and content, you can set your profile to private, and you can delete individual threads posts - all without deleting your Instagram account.
"Threads is powered by Instagram, so right now it's just one account, but we're looking into a way to delete your Threads account separately."
Some users took to Twitter to share their shock at being "trapped" with the app, writing: "The men trapped us. If you delete this, you also delete Instagram."
Others added: "why is the threads app telling me that if i wanna delete my thread account I HAVE TO DELETE MY ENTIRE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT!?", and: "The fact you can’t delete threads once you get it (without deleting IG all together) is enough to never make me get it. Have fun y’all."
One even joked: "we can’t delete our threads account without deleting our ig?? they knew ppl would instantly hate it so they made it a saw trap"
For now, it seems the best thing to do if you want to delete Threads without losing your Instagram account is to just wait it out until the update comes allowing you to do just that - or deactivate it in the meantime.
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