Threads is testing a new shortcut designed to make direct messaging faster and more natural inside the app. Meta says the feature lets select users type “DM me” or “Message me” in a Threads post or reply, and the app will automatically turn that text into a clickable prompt that invites others to start a private chat.
When someone taps the shortcut, Threads opens a one-on-one direct message conversation with the person who posted it. To help reduce spam, the app handles delivery differently depending on your relationship: if both people follow each other, the message goes straight to the primary inbox. If they don’t mutually follow, the message is routed to the Message Requests folder.
The goal is simple: fewer steps to start a conversation. Instead of clicking through to someone’s profile to send a DM, the shortcut brings messaging directly into the flow of posts and replies. It’s also another sign that Threads is leaning harder into private conversations as a core part of the experience, even though the platform introduced native DMs later than some rivals.
Right now, the DM shortcut is limited to a test group in the United States and Canada. As with most limited experiments, there’s no official word on whether it will expand globally or when a wider rollout might happen.
This messaging tweak arrives alongside a wave of recent Threads updates. The app has been adding features aimed at keeping people engaged, including new ways to personalize the feed using AI, simpler sharing to Instagram Stories from within Threads, and even early exploration of in-message games.
All of these changes come as Threads continues to grow on mobile. A recent report from market intelligence firm Similarweb indicates that Threads has now moved ahead of X in daily mobile usage. While X still leads on the web, Threads has been climbing steadily in daily active users on its iOS and Android apps. According to the report, as of January 7, 2026, Threads reached 141.5 million daily active mobile users, compared with 125 million for X.
