Threads rolls out Live Chats feature to enhance real-time interaction

Threads is introducing “Live Chats” to enable real-time conversations around cultural and live events, the Meta-owned platform announced on Wednesday. The company says the feature is designed to make the app feel more immediate, timely, and relevant.

Live Chats are launching first within the NBA Threads community during the Playoffs. Media personalities, including Malika Andrews, Rachel Nichols, and Da Kid Gowie, will host Live Chats during games.

The company said that the feature is initially being rolled out to a small group of creators. Not all users will be able to start a Live Chat immediately, but Meta plans to expand access gradually.

Within Live Chats, users can send messages, photos, videos, links, and emoji reactions. Each chat can support up to 150 active participants who can send messages. Once this limit is reached, additional users can still join in a spectator capacity, where they can view conversations, react to messages, and take part in polls.

When Threads first launched, it lagged behind X in terms of real-time relevance and timeliness, making it harder for users to follow ongoing global events. X had already positioned itself as a “global town square,” widely known for live commentary and breaking news coverage. Threads initially lacked several core features, including strong search tools, hashtags, and a chronological feed.

Over time, Threads has gradually introduced these features to strengthen its platform, and the launch of Live Chats is another step in its effort to compete more directly with X by offering dedicated real-time engagement tools.

“It’s a new way to build community with others around shared interests like an album drop or a big game as it unfolds,” Meta explained in a blog post. “Live Chats are an extension of what’s already happening on Threads — and a new way for creators and fans to connect over what matters to them in real time. Live Chats are more dynamic than traditional group chats because they’re designed for real-time conversations around cultural moments as they’re happening.”

Users can join Live Chats through the top of a Community feed, a shared post in their main feed, or by tapping a red live ring around a host’s profile photo. Although Live Chats are time-limited, Meta says they remain open and publicly discoverable after they conclude.

Threads will automatically detect and remove messages that violate platform policies, and users in any chat can report content, the company told. Hosts will also have real-time moderation tools, allowing them to demote users to spectator mode or remove them from chats entirely.

Looking ahead, Meta says it plans to expand Live Chats with additional features such as co-hosting, real-time play-by-play updates, lock-screen widgets highlighting live activity, and the ability to quote and share chat messages directly to Threads feeds.

While Meta highlighted use cases such as album drops and sports events, Live Chats could also be applied to major cultural moments, including FIFA World Cup matches, awards shows, TV finales, and other live global events.