Threads, Meta’s answer to X, is rolling out a new feature called “disappearing posts,” enabling its more than 400 million monthly users to post updates and join discussions that will automatically be archived after a day.
This new feature, referred to as “ghost posts,” becomes available globally to Threads users starting Monday.
To create a ghost post on mobile, users simply tap the new “ghost” icon in the compose window. Once shared, these posts are marked by a dotted speech bubble in the timeline, making them stand out from regular posts.
Anyone using Threads on desktop or mobile can respond to a ghost post, but their replies are sent privately to the original poster’s direct messages rather than appearing in the public timeline.
Beneath each ghost post, viewers can see if others have liked or replied, shown with smiley icons. However, only the person who posted can view the exact counts and identities of those who interacted.
After 24 hours, ghost posts vanish from public view but remain accessible to the creator in the “archived” section, which can be found in the main settings menu.
Image Credits:Meta/Instagram Threads / Getty Images
(Reminder: If you have message requests turned off, users you don’t follow won’t be able to reply to your ghost posts. If message requests are on, replies from non-followed users will go to your message request inbox. You can change these preferences from the menu in the top right corner of your profile.)
Meta shared with TechCrunch that this feature aims to promote more casual, low-pressure sharing in users’ feeds.
This update may also offer Threads a new way to compete with Elon Musk’s X, where users often rely on third-party—sometimes paid—services to remove old posts if they wish to avoid manual deletion.
Ephemeral posts aren’t new to text-based social platforms. Back in 2020, Twitter (before it became X) tested a similar feature called Fleets, which let users post temporary Stories. However, the feature was discontinued a year later due to low usage.
Meta, on the other hand, sees ongoing value in temporary content—something that’s proven successful with Stories on both Instagram and Facebook. With ghost posts, Meta expects Threads users will be more likely to share spontaneous thoughts, participate in live discussions, or experiment with new types of content.
Since Threads launched in July 2023, Meta has quickly added new features, including custom feeds, direct messaging, integration with the fediverse (connecting Threads to open platforms like Mastodon), support for text attachments up to 10,000 characters, spoiler-hiding tools, and the introduction of interest-based communities.
