Threads is testing real-time search results

Meta’s Threads application is often described as a competitor to Company X. The app’s “For You” algorithm often shows posts from a few days ago as well as new posts, and its recently launched feature only shows five topics at a time. But for those hoping the app will eventually become more useful for real-time information, Meta’s latest test could be good news.

According to Threads user Daniel Rodriguez, the app is testing a new search feature that will allow users to filter results by recency. Threads chief executive Adam Mosseri confirmed the change. “We started testing it with a small number of people to make it easier to find relevant search results instantly,” Mosseri said.

This may sound like a relatively minor tweak, but the lack of chronological search has long frustrated Threads users looking for news or commentary on current events. While sorting by “Recent” posts isn’t the same as searching chronologically, it should help surface posts about breaking news or other timely topics.

How useful this feature is, though, will depend on whether Meta makes the filter available for all themes on the platform. A screenshot showing the recency options for NBA Threads, the app where Mosseri went to great lengths to create a community. But Mosseri was far less enthusiastic about other timely topics, saying last year he didn’t want “hard news.” Elsewhere, Threads angered some users by removing topics it considered “potentially sensitive” such as vaccines and COVID-19 from recommendations and search results, even though the posts did not violate its rules.