Meta's Threads due on desktop in 'next few days'

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Threads, Meta's newest social media app, will arrive on the web and desktop computers this week following a significant drop in usage since last month's launch.

Meta's chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg announced the update Tuesday in a post on Threads.

"Actual footage of me building Threads for web. Rolling out over the next few days," Zuckerberg wrote in the caption.

The update is one of the most requested by users since Threads launched its mobile app in early July to compete with X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Threads' launch came just days after X owner Elon Musk limited the number of posts that users can read. It also follows backlash from users and advertisers over Musk's staff cuts at the social media company.

Threads, which is an extension of Instagram, had more than 100 million sign-ups in its first week. Much like X, users can post entries in addition to replying, liking and sharing texts.

"We saw unprecedented growth out of the gate and more importantly we're seeing more people coming back daily than I'd expected," Zuckerberg said last month during Meta's earnings call.

"And now, we're focused on retention and improving the basics. And then after that, we'll focus on growing the community to the scale we think is possible," Zuckerberg added.

Despite Threads' strong start, Meta is hoping to regain the platform's early traction as daily active user count dropped 82% to around 8 million users in three weeks, according to market research firm Sensor Tower.

"Threads is beginning to roll out a new logged-in web experience that lets you post, view your feed and interact with posts from your desktop," Meta said in a statement Tuesday.

"The Threads team is working hard to bring this experience to parity with mobile and will be adding more functionality to the web experience in the coming weeks."