Meta begins testing the Threads API with third-party developers

Meta is starting to bring the Threads API online, though it will be some time before it’s widely available to developers. The company has begun testing its new developer tools with a handful of companies, Meta engineer Jesse Chen said in a statement on topics.

According to Chen, whose post was first spotted by TechCrunch, is currently in “beta,” but a wider rollout could come “by the end of June.” The initial group of companies beta testing the API includes social media management platforms Sprinklr, Hootsuite, Social News Desk and Sprout Social. Meta also works with tech news aggregator Techmeme and live video platform Grabyo. For now, it looks like the API will primarily allow content to be posted to Threads from those services, but Chen said there are also plans to “enable response moderation and insight capabilities.”

Having an API could help Threads attract more publishers and power users, who often rely on third-party software for publishing and analytics. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has previously expressed some reluctance to court publishers, that his “concern” was that a dedicated API would “mean a lot more content for publishers and not a lot more content for creators.” (Mosseri has he doesn’t want to “amplify news on the platform.”)

But with users, Threads is starting to look more and more like a viable alternative to X, and offering pro-level tools is a good way to get publishers and brands to post more on the platform. Having an API could also potentially help the company’s plans to support interoperability and the rest, though Meta hasn’t publicly discussed its API in that context.