You can finally delete your Threads account without also deleting your Instagram. Here's how to do it.
- A new Threads feature will allow users to delete their accounts without also deleting their Instagram accounts.
- This was after users complained about feeling "trapped" when the app was first released in July.
Meta is rolling out a new highly-anticipated feature on Threads that will finally allow users to delete their account without also having to delete their Instagram account.
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced two new updates on Threads on Monday saying they were "based on feedback from our Threads community."
He wrote: "First: we're rolling out a way for you to delete your Threads profile separately from your Instagram account."
The other feature, Mosseri said, involves making it easier to see Threads posts on Facebook and Instagram.
Deleting profiles, however, is likely to generate more attention.
The feature is not yet available to all users, but Mosseri shared a brief guide on how to delete your account. Here's a guide on how it works.
How to deactivate or delete your Threads account
Open the Threads app and click on the profile icon in the bottom right corner.
Then tap the two stacked lines at the top right corner of the page and this will take you to Settings.
Tap Account from the list and then tap Deactivate profile.
This will give you the option to either deactivate your profile or delete your profile.
You can tap Delete profile at the bottom. This will permanently delete your profile, content, followers, and likes 30 days after your request has been submitted, according to Instagram's Help Centre. You can cancel your deletion request before 30 days.
A notice on Instagram's Help Centre warns users: "Deleting your Threads profile won't also delete your Instagram account. However, deleting your Instagram account will also delete your Threads profile because it's managed by your Instagram account."
The new update comes after users took to Thread's rival X — formerly Twitter — to complain about not being able to initially deactivate or delete the account without also doing the same to their Instagram account. Some described feeling trapped or stuck at the time.
Threads was launched as a direct competitor to Elon Musk's X and reached 100 million users in just five days — faster than OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Although Threads experienced a drop in users at the end of July, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in October in Meta's quarterly earnings call that it had hit just under 100 million monthly active users since July