Meta’s Threads app comes to Czechia Thursday – here's what we know so far

New social network Threads, run by social media giant Meta, will fully launch in Czechia at midday on Thursday, Dec. 14. Meta quietly placed an “invitation” to be part of the launch within its Instagram app Wednesday.

The new app has been available in the U.S. and UK since July, though its EU launch has been delayed due to non-compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act.

Some Czechia-based users had initially been able to access and use the Threads app via a virtual private network (VPN), although Meta quickly cracked down on this.

According to Meta, Threads is specially made “for sharing text updates and joining public conversations.” Users will also be able to post and share images and videos, as well as interact with other users’ posts through replies, reposts, and likes. The app is seen as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter) due to its similarity. 

Czech users can already download the Threads application on the App Store or Google Play Store, but won’t be able to access the app until Thursday. The same Instagram handle (username) is used to sign into the Threads app.

By typing the word “ticket” on the Instagram search bar, users will see a special invitation ticket that details tomorrow’s launch of Threads. The threads.net website also displays a countdown to the launch.

It is not yet known whether users in the EU and Czechia will be able to actually create posts – or even interact with them – on the network from tomorrow. The Wall Street Journal reports that, initially, Threads in the EU will be read-only (with posting, liking, messaging, or resharing limited ) due to still-existent compliance issues with EU data laws.

A 2023 report by tech company Datareportal found that Czechia had around 3.4 million Instagram users. With around two in 10 Instagram users already active on the Threads app (in countries where it is available), Czechia is set to see hundreds of thousands of people use Meta’s new app.

Threads is looking to dislodge social media site X in Czechia as across the world – at present, Datareportal statistics show that 1.4 million people actively use X in the country.

Within five days of its global launch, Threads became the fastest-growing app in history, even surpassing previous record holder ChatGPT. Today, Threads has around 141 million active users worldwide.