Mosseri says Meta’s Threads might get an API

It looks like Threads might be getting an API soon.

Threads user Donna Lowe asked if there was a “Thread-deck-type thing yet,” and technology reporter Casey Newton responded by saying, “No, because there isn’t an API yet. Hopefully someday.” In response, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said, “We’re working on it. My concern is that it’ll mean a lot more publisher content and not much more creator content, but it still seems like something we need to get done.”

An API, which stands for Application Programming Interface, helps different apps communicate with each other. For instance, TweetDeck uses Twitter’s API to allow users to schedule tweets in the future. In the past, before certain restrictions were imposed, there were third-party Twitter (now X) clients that offered alternative interfaces for accessing and interacting with the Twitter platform, like Tweetbot and Twitterrific. Twitter’s API now costs money, though, thanks to Elon Musk. 

APIs aren’t new to the Meta family. Influencer marketing platforms use Instagram’s API to gather data on influencers’ audience size and engagement metrics, and Instagram Top 9, the feature users love to use to generate their top photos from the year, also uses Instagram’s API.

An API on Threads could be helpful for creators, news outlets, and developers, but it’s no surprise that it’s taking Meta a while to set it up. Threads is new and, of course, desperately does not want to encourage news content — which an API has the potential to do.