User Can Now Delete Their Threads Profile Without Losing Their Instagram Account

Meta is still (slowly) untangling several Threads-related characteristics from Instagram. Threads users may now cancel their accounts without simultaneously deleting their Instagram accounts, according to an update from the app’s CEO, Adam Mosseri.

Users may deactivate or delete their profile from the Threads app by going to Settings -> Account -> Delete or deactivate profile.

The move has long been desired by Threads users, who were annoyed by the inability to delete their Threads profile without simultaneously deleting their Instagram account. The upgrade comes shortly after Meta made another settings modification that allowed Threads users to opt out of having their posts featured in the main feeds of Instagram and Facebook.

Regardless of the changes, Instagram and Threads remain inextricably linked. Threads requires an Instagram account to join, and the app’s lone messaging function relies on Instagram’s inbox. Threads also uses users’ Instagram presence to provide recommendations and provide other services.While Meta is unlikely to totally split the two services, there is reason to believe that Threads will grow more autonomous in the future. Meta has said that Threads would be compatible with ActivityPub, the open-source protocol that underpins Mastodon and other fediverse services. The firm hasn’t said much about how this will operate, but it should provide social media users additional opportunities to interact with Threads material even if they don’t use Instagram.