Launched as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter), Meta's Threads is now testing a new feature that will help users find real-time search results based on their recency. Notably, this may seem like a minor tweak, since recently its parent Meta announced its plans to label posts generated with AI in May 2024. However, the option to perform a chronological search has been a demand of Threads users for quite some time.
As per a screenshot shared by Threads user Daniel Rodriguez, which Instagram head Adam Mosseri later confirmed, it allows users to filter the search results by their time of occurrence. Adam wrote, "We’re starting to test this with a small number of people, so it’s easier to find relevant search results in real time."
Notably, the Threads real-time search results feature is currently under test with a few users, and those who have it are seeing two options, i.e., top and recent. Threads user Rodriguez, who first spotted the change, said that "recent isn’t exactly chronological, it appears to show more recent posts than what shows up on Top feed."
The screenshot shared by Rodriguez shows a recent option for 'NBA threads', something Mosseri has been promoting aggressively within the app. Since the feature is under testing, sorting news by 'recent' may not show posts chronologically, however, it does show breaking news or timely topics at the top.
Previously, searching for something on Threads would show algorithm-based search results, basically meaning it would show posts that are trending on the platform based on the engagement it received and not based on its occurrence.
With the Threads real-time search results, a user will be able to search for the most recent posts from other users, irrespective of their engagement metrics. This is a nice change for Threads users, as recently Threads had to pull out the plug temporarily from Turkey on April 29 because of its links with Instagram.
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