When did Threads launch and get ads?
Meta's newsroom dates the Threads app launch to 5 July 2023. Its developer blog says that on 19 May 2025 it expanded Marketing API support to include ads in Threads, with a new Threads feed placement. That post does not say when ads first appeared in the app. Later posts add formats, app ads and reply tools.
Meta’s newsroom post “Introducing Threads: A New Way to Share With Text” is dated 5 July 2023. The earliest page cited here that dates ads in Threads is a developer post of 19 May 2025. It says Meta was “expanding Marketing API support to include ads in Threads”. Neither page says when ads first appeared in the app, so treat 19 May 2025 as the API date.
When did the Threads app launch?
Meta’s post says Threads is “a new app, built by the Instagram team, for sharing text updates and joining public conversations”. You log in with an Instagram account, and posts can be up to 500 characters. A dated update of 14 December 2023 says Meta was expanding Threads to countries across Europe. The post does not mention ads.
What did Meta say about ads on 19 May 2025?
The developer post “Ads in Threads” says: “On May 19, 2025, we’re expanding Marketing API support to include ads in Threads.” It lists these details:
- A new “Threads feed” placement. Ads appear between organic posts in the Threads home feed.
- Objectives: Reach, Traffic and Website Conversions.
- Single image ads, with aspect ratios from 16:9 to 9:16.
- Standalone Threads feed campaigns were “not supported at this time”. Instagram feed had to be selected too.
- A Threads profile was required to run ads.
Meta also wrote: “We are keeping the volume of ads in Threads intentionally low as we test and learn and therefore expect that delivery to Threads will be low.” It said that you would see this in placement breakdown reporting.
What changed after May 2025?
| Date | Meta page | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 28 October 2025 | Developer blog | Taller 4:5 rendering for images and video, video ads, static carousel ads and Placement Asset Customization. |
| 25 March 2026 | Developer blog | App ads on Threads through the Marketing API, and tools to view, hide and reply to top-level replies on your ads. |
| 16 June 2026 | Newsroom | Threads reached 500 million monthly active users. The post is not about ads. |
| Docs, as read on 2 October 2026 | Developer docs | Threads feed objectives are Awareness, Traffic, Engagement and Sales. Some updates “are not yet available to all users”. |
The October 2025 post also says that when new formats become compatible with Threads, existing and new campaigns using them “will automatically” deliver to the Threads feed if that placement is included. It adds that you can review and update your placements at any time.
What do Meta’s annual reports say?
Meta’s reports for 2023 and 2024 say marketers buy ads that can appear on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and third-party applications and websites. Threads is not in that list. The report for 2025 lists “Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, and WhatsApp”. None of those sentences gives a start date for Threads ads.
How do you run ads on Threads today?
Meta’s documentation says you need a Threads account ID, which can be an Instagram-associated, Instagram-backed or Page-backed Threads account. It says new Threads accounts created after 29 January 2026 must be added to your Business Portfolio manually. To deliver to Threads, the docs say you must select the Instagram stream placement as well, and a caption over 1,000 characters is not delivered on Threads.
What should you check in your account today?
- Open your ad sets and see whether the Threads feed placement is on, and whether your account offers it yet.
- Break results down by platform and placement, as Meta’s 2025 post suggests, and compare Threads cost per result with your other placements.
- Look at your captions. Ones over 1,000 characters will not deliver on Threads.
FAQ
Did Meta say when ads first ran in Threads?
Not in the pages cited here. The 5 July 2023 launch post does not mention ads. The 19 May 2025 developer post dates the expansion of Marketing API support, and it does not say when ads first appeared in the app. Avoid quoting a first-ad date without a Meta page.
Can I run Threads-only campaigns?
Meta’s May 2025 post said standalone Threads feed campaigns were not supported, and Instagram feed also had to be selected. Its current documentation still says adding the Instagram stream placement is a prerequisite for selecting the Threads placement. Check your own placements list in Ads Manager.
Will my existing ads start showing on Threads?
Meta’s October 2025 post says that when new formats become compatible with Threads, campaigns using them deliver to the Threads feed if that placement is included. If you do not want it, review your placements. Meta says you can update them at any time.
Sources
- Introducing Threads: A New Way to Share With Text (5 July 2023, updated 14 August 2024) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Ads in Threads (Meta for Developers, 19 May 2025) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Marketing API: New formats and optimizations for Ads in Threads (28 October 2025) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Marketing API: Latest Updates for Ads on Threads (25 March 2026) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Threads Ads (Marketing API documentation) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Threads Ads Creation (Marketing API documentation) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- New Features to Celebrate 500 Million Monthly Users on Threads (16 June 2026) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Meta Platforms annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2023 (Meta filing with the SEC, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Meta Platforms annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2024 (Meta filing with the SEC, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Meta Platforms annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 (Meta filing with the SEC, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.