Meta’s Threads platform announced in 2026 that it is launching “Live Chats,” a new feature designed to enable real-time conversations during cultural events and help the app compete more directly with X (formerly Twitter).
The feature debuted Wednesday within the NBA Threads community during the Playoffs, with media personalities including Malika Andrews, Rachel Nichols, and Da Kid Gowie hosting Live Chats during games. Meta is initially rolling out the capability to a small group of creators, with plans to expand access over time.
Live Chats support messages, photos, videos, links, and emoji reactions. Up to 150 participants can actively send messages in a chat, while additional users can join in “spectator” mode to view conversations, react to messages, and participate in polls. Users can access Live Chats from the top of a Community feed, through shared posts in their main feed, or by tapping the red live ring around a host’s profile photo.
Meta developed the feature to address Threads’ historical weakness in real-time engagement. When Threads first launched, it struggled to match X’s reputation as a global “town square” for breaking news and live commentary, lacking features like robust search, hashtags, and chronological feeds. The company has since built out these tools and is now introducing a feature that even X doesn’t offer.
“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. The platform will automatically detect and remove policy-violating messages, and hosts have real-time moderation controls to demote or remove users.
Meta plans to add co-hosting capabilities, real-time play-by-play updates, lock-screen widgets, and the ability to share chat messages to Threads feeds. Beyond NBA games and album releases, the feature could be used for FIFA World Cup matches, awards shows, and TV show finales.
Source: TechCrunch