Angry Instagram users are leaving 1-star reviews on the wrong Threads app on Google's app store
- Facebook released an app for Instagram last week, called Threads, that's made for quick photo-sharing and instant-messaging with those on your Close Friends list.
- However, searching for "Threads" on the app stores for both Android and iOS devices has led some users to mistake a same-named workplace communication app for the new Instagram platform.
- The workplace Threads app has since been hit with several one-star reviews, but has also seen its download numbers boost six times over.
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Instagram's over 1 billion users were directed last week to download Threads, a new Snapchat-like app for instant chatting with your closest friends.
But for some Instagram users, finding the new app wasn't quite so simple. That's because the new Instagram sidekick isn't the only app in smartphone app stores with the name "Threads." Those who searched "threads" last week on the iOS App Store or Google Play may have first seen the result for a completely different app, which sported a similar Instagram-purple hue and more reviews than the brand-new app from Facebook.
Read more: Instagram has created an app for instant messaging with people on your Close Friends list in an attempt to best Snapchat
So those Instagrammers who downloaded the other Threads app - a workplace communication platform - were, understandably, upset when the new app wasn't working. One day after Threads from Instagram was released, the other Threads app saw its average app rating drop down in the Google Play store to just one star.
The work app Threads is still in beta mode, meaning that only people given access are able to log in and use it. More than 20 one-star reviews have been left on Threads' Android app since last Thursday from users complaining they couldn't log in or register for the app.
"Between it being a Facebook app and not ever receiving the registration email, I'm deleting this POS and never looking back," a one-star reviewer left on Threads' Google Play app.
The confusion over the correct Threads app has been "disappointing," Rousseau Kazi, CEO of the workplace app Threads, told Business Insider. Ironically, Kazi worked at Facebook before leaving in 2017 to build his Threads app - a service that directly competes with Facebook's business-focused social network, Workplace.
However, the confusion between the two Threads app has led to a bit more traffic on Kazi's platform. According to Sensor Tower, downloads of the workplace Threads app spiked six times more than usual on Thursday. The team has also seen an increase in people also signing up for the app's beta waitlist since Instagram released its Threads app, Kazi said.
"This is a short-term distraction," Kazi said. "We're focused on getting excited about working on our platform."
While Kazi's Threads app has suffered a slew of one-star reviews on the Google Play Store since Instagram launched its app, Threads in the iOS App Store has not received any reviews at all since August. The reason behind the discrepancy between the apps on the two virtual stores is not entirely clear.