Meta’s Threads to have search and web functions, Zuckerberg says

Meta’s Twitter-like Threads app will soon get a search function and be available to access via the web.

In a Threads post on Friday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the new features will be “coming in the next few weeks.”

“A good week for Threads,” Zuckerberg wrote. “The community here is on the trajectory I expect to build a vibrant long term app.”

Meta introduced Threads in July to much fanfare, and the app quickly shot up the charts as Zuckerberg capitalized on struggles that have beset Twitter — now known as X — and increased criticism of principal owner Elon Musk. But engagement on Threads has significantly declined over the past weeks as the novelty wore off, and some users grew frustrated with the app’s limited functionality.

Advertisers and creators have told CNBC that in order for Threads to become an important service, the real-time messaging app needs to have features that make it easier to search for trending topics and to find previous posts. And being able to access Threads on the web is particularly important if Meta wants to truly compete with X, which has long been popular on desktop for people at work.

Last week, Zuckerberg said on Meta’s earnings call that he’s “quite optimistic” about the future of Threads and that it was built by a small team. Still, the company is not going to monetize the app until it’s much bigger and more established, he said.

“Lots of work ahead but excited about the team’s pace of shipping,” Zuckerberg wrote on Friday.

WATCH: Are the Threads unraveling?