What’s On/Social
Threads has grown up: is it time your brand joined?
Half a billion people now use Threads each month, ads are open worldwide, and a new test lets posts sit on top of photos and video. A practical look for brands in the UAE and the Gulf.
When Threads launched, many brands opened an account, posted twice and forgot about it. The app has quietly kept growing since. Meta announced 500 million monthly active users on 16 June 2026 and repeated the figure to investors on 29 July, up from 320 million in January 2025 and more than 400 million in January 2026. The latest official daily figure, from late 2025, is more than 150 million.
Be careful with comparisons to X. Claims that Threads passed X in daily mobile users come from third-party app data rather than Meta, and X's own figures have not been independently checked.
A new way to quote
On 1 October 2026 Threads started testing visual quote posts with a small group of creators. Testers can lay a Threads post over a photo or video, picking from posts they have liked, saved or written, then add stickers, change the layout or split a photo into as many as nine parts. A Quote option appears in the edit menu for images. Threads described it as the foundation for more creative tools to come. There is no date for everyone else.
Advertising is open
Meta announced on 21 January 2026 that ads would reach all Threads users worldwide, rolling out gradually and starting with a light ad load. For advertisers that means:
- Image, video and carousel formats, including 4:5, along with Advantage+ catalogue and app ads.
- Everything run from Ads Manager beside Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, so Threads can simply be added as a placement.
- No separate Threads profile required: your Instagram account can carry the ads.
None of the coverage we found singled out the Gulf, so the region sits within the global rollout. Meta has also told investors Threads will not be a meaningful driver of revenue growth this year, which suggests space on it is still relatively uncrowded.
Our advice
- Join if you have something to say often. Threads suits brands with news, opinions, quick tips or customer conversations, not brands that only post polished campaign visuals.
- Write for the platform. An Instagram caption pasted onto Threads usually falls flat.
- Test it cheaply first by adding Threads as a placement to an existing Meta campaign, and compare the cost per result with Instagram.
- Keep an eye on the visual quote test. If it rolls out, replying to a creator's post over your own product image becomes an easy new format.
- Report Threads on its own, so you can see whether it earns its place.
Not sure which platforms deserve your brand's time? ALXO can review your social channels and build a plan around where your customers actually are. Reach out.
