Threads now has a better word filter than Instagram

Threads has taken another step towards decoupling from Instagram by introducing its own word blocking filters. Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced on Thursday that the Hidden Words setting on Threads includes “newly added custom filters to block words, phrases, and emojis in batches, with optional time limits.”

A previous version of Hidden Words was tied to Instagram, meaning you could only mute the same words and phrases across both platforms. This change enables users to tailor what they want to filter out of their feeds, search, profiles, and replies on both services. “Threads is about fostering an open exchange of perspectives, and to do so people need to be able to shape the experience into one where they feel comfortable expressing themselves,” Mosseri said on Threads.

The update also lets Threads users temporarily snooze words they don’t want to permanently block, with a 30-day time limit option that tracks the number of days left until the filter expires. It could be useful if you want to avoid running into spoilers for newly released movies, TV shows, and games, or seeing viral drama from your online communities, without sacrificing your time on social media. 

This time limitation isn’t available on Instagram’s Hidden Words settings, but mirrors similar filter options on competitor platform X, which allows users to mute words for a day, a week, or 30 days. Mosseri says the update is available now, but I’m not currently seeing it on my own Threads account, so it may take some time to roll out to everyone.