Meta is currently testing a new feature called “Threads Friends” in Ireland, Italy, and Japan. This experimental tool allows users to share posts privately with smaller, selected groups of followers rather than broadcasting them to the entire platform.
How Threads Friends Works
The functionality operates similarly to a “close friends” list, enabling individuals to share updates with up to 50 followers—referred to by the app as “Thriends.” This concept closely mirrors Twitter’s former “Circles” feature introduced in 2022, which permitted users to limit posts to groups of up to 150 people before Twitter discontinued it about a year later.
To help users get started, Meta designed the app to automatically suggest followers with whom individuals frequently interact, as noted by a Meta spokesperson. However, the final list remains fully customizable by the user. Once established, individuals can tap a green bubble located at the top of their feed to view friends-only posts shared within the previous 24 hours.
Availability and Previews
Although detailed promotional images have not been officially released by the company, Laura Javier, product design director for Threads, provided a brief preview illustrating the appearance of a friends-only post. She also highlighted an Easter egg feature that changes the display name from “Threads Friends” to “Thriends.”
Meta has not yet announced whether or when the initial test will expand to other regions, meaning users in the United States do not currently have access to the function. Nevertheless, individuals who are added to a list by a user residing in one of the active test countries will still be able to view their friends-only posts.
