Thread’s latest feature is stealing Bluesky’s starter packs idea

According to reporting by TechCrunch and others, Threads is tapping into one of Bluesky’s best new features: starter packs of people to follow. Chris Messina, who invented the hashtag (!), posted a screenshot of the tool to the social media app. You can see an early version of the tool by pasting “installedbarcelona://recommended_follow_lists” into Safari on iOS if you have the latest Threads app.

The version likely coming to Threads should work like Bluesky’s version. The lists of users are “handpicked by people on Threads” and can be about pretty much anything.

(Engadget has its own starter pack — follow along!)

Threads has pulled in several Bluesky features this year. The platform recently rolled out custom feeds and the ability to change the default feed to people you follow.

— Mat Smith

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