Instagram themes updated with TweetDeck-style view, multi-column feeds on desktop site

Threads — Instagram’s microblogging platform that serves as a competitor to Xu (formerly Twitter) — on Thursday (May 30) rolled out a new TweetDeck-style view along with other features for desktop users. The feature, which allows users to pin columns to the home screen, first appeared on May 16 when Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the platform had begun testing it. It is now available to users worldwide, announced Instagram boss Adam Mosseri.

Threads updated with a TweetDeck style look

In the Threads announcement, Mosseri revealed that a new Threads view has begun rolling out and that users can “customize and personalize” what they see. “We have a lot of great ideas to make this the best website for sharing ideas, so stay tuned for more and let us know if you have any suggestions,” the Instagram boss added.

The new look brings the ability to pin feeds to the home screen, creating a custom multi-column desktop view that looks a bit like TweetDeck (now known as X Pro). Users can now pin screens such as the follow feed, feed for you, recent notifications and saved posts side by side on their home screen.

This can be done via the pin icon at the bottom of the left sidebar, above More option. Alternatively, they can choose to keep one view of the feed as well. Gadgets 360 was able to confirm this feature with a new multi-column desktop layout that replaced the traditional single-feed view.

Threads also introduces real-time updates to the feed, meaning users won’t have to refresh the page every time to see new content. This feature can be accessed by toggling automatic update in the upper right corner of the feed located inside the three-dot option.

Cross-posting in threads

The microblogging platform is reportedly testing another feature that allows users to cross-post images from Instagram. It is speculated that it will not be turned on by default and users may have to turn it on to use it.

The report mentions that cross-posting an image from Instagram can automatically use the caption as the text for a Threads post. However, this feature is yet to be turned on for Gadgets 360 staff members.