Threads confirms it is experimenting with ephemeral posts
Threads is testing 24-hour ephemeral posts with select users, offering a casual sharing method similar to Twitter's former Fleets.
Threads has confirmed its experimentation with ephemeral posts that disappear within 24 hours. Initially an internal prototype, the feature is now available to a limited number of users on the social network. The company has described this as a new and casual way to share content, although further details like region-specific availability or activation criteria remain undisclosed.
App reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi shared an ephemeral post, revealing that users can see a timer indicating how long before the post vanishes. A banner atop these posts notes that threads and replies will disappear after the set time. It was also observed that quoted posts have a similar timer and will be removed once the timer expires.
In June, Paluzzi first highlighted the presence of a 24-hour button to publish ephemeral threads. Technology expert Christ Messina also found code suggesting this feature and noted its incompatibility with the fediverse due to deletion constraints. Ephemeral posts could be useful for creators posting off-topic content and for relevant live event commentary. If widely adopted, Threads would distinguish itself among social networks like X, Bluesky, and Mastodon by adopting this feature.