Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows | TechCrunch

"A report from market intelligence firm Similarweb suggests that Meta's Threads is now seeing more daily usage than Elon Musk's X on mobile devices. While X still dominates Threads on the web, the Threads mobile app for iOS and Android has continued to see an increase in daily active users over the past several months. Similarweb's data shows that Threads had 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android as of January 7, 2026, after months of growth,"

"This appears to be the result of longer-term trends, rather than a reaction to the recent X controversies, where users were discovered using the platform's integrated AI, Grok, to create non-consensual nude images of women, including, sometimes minors. Concern around the deepfake images has now prompted California's attorney general to open an investigation into Grok, following similar investigations by other regions, like the UK, EU, India, Brazil, and many more."

"Instead, Threads' boost in daily mobile usage may be driven by other factors, including cross-promotions from Meta's larger social apps like Facebook and Instagram (where Threads is regularly advertised to existing users), its focus on creators, and the rapid rollout of new features. Over the past year, Threads has added features like interest-based communities, better filters, DMs, long-form text, disappearing posts, and has recently been spotted testing games."

Similarweb data shows Threads had 141.5 million daily active users on mobile as of January 7, 2026, while X had 125 million. X continues to dominate on the web. Threads' mobile app has grown steadily for months, indicating habitual mobile use. Growth drivers include cross-promotion from Facebook and Instagram, a creator focus, and frequent feature rollouts such as interest-based communities, filters, DMs, long-form text, disappearing posts, and tests of games. Controversies on X involving Grok-generated non-consensual images prompted investigations by California and other regions and increased interest in alternatives like Bluesky. Meta reported over 400 million monthly Threads users in August 2025 and 150 million daily users in October 2025.

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