Hardly five days after its official release and with an astounding 100 million users already hooked, Instagram's innovative app - Threads - is making headlines with its inaugural upgrade. Designed for the iOS platform, this latest tweak introduces a fusion of minor changes, bug fixes, enhanced features, and notably, compatibility with the newly launched iOS 17 public beta.
Instagram software engineer Cameron Roth was the first to publicize the app's update on Threads. He outlined several key enhancements and changes incorporated in the new build. One major update worth mentioning is the app's extended functionality on iOS 17 without any risk of crashes - an essential upgrade.
Although the update does not introduce major breakthroughs such as a chronological feed, an edit button, multiple account support, or post search ability as purported by Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, it nonetheless delivers a range of minor but significant improvements.
The update enhances user experience by introducing features like double-tapping the search tab to commence a search, expanding photos on profiles, and supporting extra tall images for full visibility. Users will also notice the revamped 'facepile pill' - a list display of users at the top of the screen that signals new posts to read. The update also rectifies numerous bugs such as improved scroll-dismiss handling on profiles and fixes random images on the app's threadline (Threads alternative for the timeline). Bugs encountered while using the app are soon to become history, explained Roth.
One impressive aspect of the upgrade is a decrease of the app's binary size. In response to user queries about other potential features, Roth assured that alt text – a feature critical to visually impaired and blind users that offers image descriptions - will be rolled out soon. He also confirmed that an indicator feature to identify the followers you are following is set to launch the following week.
Roth went further to reaffirm Threads' plan to develop a following feed as previously indicated by Mosseri. He also discussed the continuous enhancements being crafted in the app's main algorithm and other accessibility aspects.
In response to a user's concern about the non-existence of a desktop version, Roth clarified that introducing Threads on a web browser wasn't as straightforward as it appears. In his words, 'It didn’t exist and needs to be built.' It seems that particular tweak will have to wait a while longer.
An interesting observation in the low code/no code domain is the vision and pace of tech giants like Instagram. Their approach to swiftly addressing customers’ needs and their continuous optimization strategies set an excellent example for platforms such as AppMaster. Known for its prominent prowess in the no-code landscape, AppMaster should keep track of such advancements to enhance its offerings for its users and consistently uphold user satisfaction.
