Threads Returns to Türkiye With Live Chats, Communities, and DMs After Two-Year Ban
Meta has restored access to Threads in Türkiye, bringing the social platform back to millions of users after a two-year shutdown. The company made the app available again starting June 17, allowing Turkish users to download Threads or visit threads.com to sign up or reactivate existing accounts, including their prior posts, followers, and interactions.
The Threads return to Türkiye comes with significant upgrades compared to the version that was pulled in 2024. Users now have access to real-time Live Chats, topic-based Communities, and direct messaging. These three features were not part of the platform when it first launched in the country.
Why Threads Was Shut Down
Meta temporarily shut down Threads in Türkiye on April 29, 2024, following an interim order from the Turkish Competition Authority. The order required the company to comply with regulatory measures that Meta said made continued operation of the platform unworkable at the time. The shutdown was limited to Threads only. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other Meta services continued operating normally in the country.
The decision to allow Threads to return followed a recent ruling by the same authority. That ruling paved the way for the platform to relaunch with its current feature set.
What Turkish Users Get Now
Threads has evolved substantially over the past two years. The version rolling out in Türkiye includes Live Chats, which let users participate in real-time text conversations around events and trending topics. Communities provide dedicated spaces for groups organized around shared interests. Direct messaging, a feature Threads lacked at launch globally, adds private one to one and group conversations.
For returning users, account reactivation restores the full history of posts, follower lists, and past interactions. New users can sign up directly through the Threads app on iOS and Android or via the web version at threads.com.
The relaunch means Threads returns to Türkiye with a much richer experience than the one that left. The platform has added support for fediverse integration, trending topics, an editing window for posts, and advanced search capabilities since its original global debut. Meta did not specify which of these features are included in the Turkish rollout.
What This Means for Threads Users in Türkiye
For the estimated millions of Turkish users who previously maintained Threads accounts, the restoration of profiles and content removes the friction of starting from scratch. The addition of Communities and Live Chats positions the platform as a potential alternative to local discussion spaces. Direct messaging closes a gap that pushed some users to other apps for private conversations.
The relaunch also gives Meta a stronger foothold in a market where Instagram and WhatsApp already have deep penetration. Threads had accumulated a significant user base in Türkiye before the shutdown. The restored accounts give the company a ready-made audience to work with, and the new features could help re-engage those returning users.
Turkish users looking to get started can visit the Threads Help Center for guidance on account reactivation and setup. The app is available for download through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Sources
Threads Returns to Türkiye With New Features
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