Twitter to get competition from Instagram's 'secret app'

Instagram plans on introducing a text-based app to compete with Elon Musk's Twitter, Bloomberg reported Friday.

People familiar with the matter told the media outlet that the company is testing the app with celebrities and influencers.

One of the people told Bloomberg that the project has been available to select creators for months.

Lia Haberman, who teaches social and influencer marketing at UCLA, said the platform would be separate from Instagram but would have the option to allow users to connect accounts.

The app may be rolled out by June this year, she said.

Haberman provided a brief description of the new app and according to that, it could be compatible with other Twitter competitor apps, including Mastodon.

Since Musk's chaotic takeover of Twitter, which has led to some drastic changes in the app including the paid subscription, users have started to look for other options.

“Historically, we know Meta likes to sample and recreate features from other apps and third-party tools based on what they anticipate being popular with their users,” Haberman said.

She noted that Musk has talked about turning Twitter into an "everything app," with a lot of features besides informational posts.

"Based on Meta’s track record borrowing from other platforms, it’s much more likely they’ll get there first by consolidating all these experiences they’re building."