The new Instagram Threads app was briefly accessible from desktop. Here's what the Twitter rival looks like.

• Meta's new Twitter rival Threads was accessible from desktop for a few hours on Wednesday.
• The launch for the app is set for July 6, but profiles were visible on browser before Meta shut down access.

Instagram's new Threads app was briefly visible from desktop on Wednesday, before Meta limited access.

Threads is Meta's new text-based app that competes with Twitter. Rumors about the app have been swirling for months, and the app appeared on app stores over the weekend, as well as for "pre-download" starting July 3. The official launch is set to happen on July 6 at 10 a.m. ET.

For a few hours on Wednesday, profiles, including those of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) could be accessed through browser links, as spotted by several Twitter users.

The platform appears strikingly similar to Twitter and offers the ability to create threads of content, limit responses, and add pictures. Threads' launch comes at a difficult time for Twitter, which under Elon Musk has recently introduced new viewing limits on tweets, particularly for unverified accounts that don't pay for a subscription to the platform, creating discontent among users.

Zuckerberg's first post on the Threads platform reads: "Let's do this. Welcome to Threads." He already has almost 2,000 followers, and his first post counts over 300 replies and over 1,000 likes.

Mosseri has already posted several threads and has over 2,000 followers.

His first posts reads:

Here we go. We have lots of work to do, but we're looking to build an open, civil place for people to have conversations.

We're committed to building support for ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon, into this app. We weren't able to finish it for launch given a number of complications that come along with a decentralized network, but it's coming.

If you're wondering why this matters, here's a reason: you may one day end up leaving Threads, or, hopefully not, end up de-platformed. If that ever happens, you should be able to take your audience with you to another server. Being open can enable that.

The description for Threads in the US app store says it will be "where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what'll be trending tomorrow."

Besides Meta execs, several verified profiles have also appeared on the Threads app for businesses such as Netflix, as well as individual profiles for public figures, particularly from Brazil, like TV presenter Marcos Mion and musician Alok.

Food creator Becky Excell posted a screenshot showing she was the 709th user to join the platform.

Meta has been reportedly inviting public figures as well as creators to try an early version of the app. In a document shared with Insider by influencers with early access, the company asks them to share feedback on the app, and to promote it on their Instagram stories and feeds on launch day.

Read the full leaked "early access" guide Instagram sent select influencers for Threads

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.