Meta confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday that Threads is currently testing a new feature aimed at simplifying long-form text sharing on the social network. Instead of forcing users to split in-depth thoughts and ideas into a series of separate posts (a common workaround for lengthier content), the tool lets them attach a single block of text directly to a post.
The new “text attachment” feature was first discovered on iOS by app researcher Radu Oncescu, who shared a screenshot of it online. As described within the app, the feature is designed to enable users to “attach longer text and leverage styling tools to share deeper insights, news clips, book excerpts, and more”—opening up new possibilities for content creation beyond short, bite-sized updates.
For creators and writers, this long-form capability could be a key draw: it may encourage them to share content on Threads that they would otherwise post on personal blogs or newsletter platforms like Substack, helping the app retain talent and boost engagement. It also eliminates the need for cumbersome workarounds previously used to share text exceeding Threads’ standard post word limit—such as taking a screenshot of text from a phone’s Notes app and uploading it as an image.
To demonstrate how the feature appears to viewers, Threads user Robert P. Nickson shared a post using the tool. The long-form text is displayed as a snippet within a gray box in the post; users can click on this box to open and scroll through the full content. In Nickson’s example, he shared an excerpt from Threads’ wiki, noting that the feature “adds deeper context to conversations” effectively.
Notably, Threads’ main competitor—X—already offers a long-form content option called “Articles.” However, there are key differences: X’s Articles are only available to Premium subscribers, while Threads’ text attachment feature is currently accessible to all users (though this could change in the future). Additionally, X’s tool allows users to include images and videos alongside text, whereas Threads’ current test version is limited to text-only. Given that the feature is still in testing, Meta may add multimedia support down the line.
Meta has stated that it plans to roll out the long-form text feature to more Threads users in the coming months. This update joins a list of new tools Threads has introduced over the past year, including direct messages (DMs), fediverse integrations, custom feeds, and AI enhancements—all part of the app’s efforts to expand its functionality and user base.
Recent metrics show Threads has made significant growth: it surpassed 400 million monthly active users just two years after its launch. For context, X (per former CEO Linda Yaccarino’s previous statements) has over 600 million monthly active users—though Threads’ new features could help narrow that gap as it continues to evolve.