Meta expands Threads Live Chats to draw users from X
Meta is upgrading its Threads app with real-time chat features to capture a larger share of the social media advertising market currently dominated by X.
Meta announced a suite of upgrades to its Threads Live Chats feature on Tuesday, introducing translation support and new management tools as it attempts to wrest real-time digital conversations away from X.
The update expands Live Chats access to all "Community Champions," users who hold significant followings and drive consistent engagement within specific groups. These hosts can now invite up to three co-hosts to help moderate discussions. Threads says this is "the equivalent of having a guest on your show or another voice to moderate a conversation."
For the European market, where multilingual borders make cross-border digital communication complex, the addition of automatic translations is a critical business move. It allows a single live conversation to seamlessly cross language barriers, potentially aggregating larger audiences for brands and creators.
When Threads first entered the market, it failed to pose a serious threat to X because it lacked fundamental tools for real-time tracking, such as robust search, hashtags, and chronological feeds. X has maintained a stronghold on breaking news and live public discourse, areas that are highly attractive to advertisers.
Meta is now directly targeting that vulnerability. Live Chats is a feature designed specifically for real-time engagement that X currently does not offer. Since its initial launch, Threads reports hosting hundreds of these chats almost daily, drawing thousands of participants.
The technical parameters of the feature are built to scale. Up to 150 participants can actively send messages, photos, videos, and links in a single chat. Once that capacity is reached, additional users can still view the conversation, react to messages, and participate in polls through a "spectator" mode.
This focus on creator tools is part of a broader strategy to boost user retention. Earlier this month, Threads reached 500 million monthly active users, a milestone that establishes it as a formidable social network.
To maintain that momentum, Meta is already teasing further product iterations. Desktop support and pinned messages are currently in development, both of which have been heavily requested by the creator community. These additions signal that Meta views Threads as a comprehensive platform for live digital public life, essential for justifying future ad pricing.
