Meta's Threads is improving search, with many long-awaited features in tow

Key Takeaways

• Meta is improving Threads' search functionality to allow users to refine searches by date and specific profiles.
• This update will help Threads compete with X and Bluesky by addressing a major usability issue.
• The update is rolling out globally in the coming weeks, starting with the mobile version and likely reaching the United States first.

With the ongoing, achingly slow death of X, other platforms like Threads and Bluesky are seeing massive growth — but not all social media apps are created equal.

While Threads has a lot of interesting features, parts of its usability leave something to be desired, like how trying to find anything on Threads can be a bit of a nightmare. Fortunately, that's about to change, as Meta announced an update to Threads that will allow users to better refine their searches. This update will put the Threads search option more on-par with that of X and Bluesky, its two current biggest competitors.

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Posts

Meta shared the news in a post on Threads, explaining that the update allows users to narrow their search to before or after a specific date, as well as search for specific profiles. The profile search offers the most potential, especially if you need to find a specific post you made, but you don't remember all the details.

The updated search tool also makes it easier to find more niche content; for example, if you want to discuss a recently-published book, you can limit the search to after the release date of the novel.

When will Threads update?

Threads said the update is "rolling out globally in the coming weeks." You could receive it sooner rather than later, but if you don't currently have the advanced options, just sit tight. In our testing, the update is live for the mobile version of Threads, but not the website, and the function seems to work like Meta intended. The update will likely come to the United States first before reaching users in other countries.

The timing of the update isn't a coincidence. With X users fleeing the platform in droves, Meta has begun to address many of the issues users have with Threads. This has taken the form of various updates, including custom following feeds, changes to the For You page, and several others. Threads says it gained 35 million new users in November alone, so it's no surprise the company is scrambling to shore up any weak points to better compete with Bluesky.