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You can now mute words just on Threads, and even set a 30-day timer

It looks like Meta is finally treating Threads as its own app, rather than just an Instagram sidekick. After rolling out a standalone DMs system, Threads is now getting its own mute lists, along with something new (and very welcome): temporary filters that expire automatically.

No Instagram strings attached

In a post this week, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced a revamped “Hidden Words” feature for Threads that includes its own independent word filters.

Until now, muting a word on Threads meant muting it on Instagram too—and turning the feature off in one app would wipe your entire block list in the other. Not ideal. With this update, Threads users can finally block words, phrases, and even emojis independently, without any crossover to Instagram.

And for the first time, Threads now lets you mute words temporarily, with filters that expire after 30 days. Threads will even show a countdown so you know how long the filter has left.

This is a great way to dodge spoilers or sidestep whatever topic or meme is blowing up, but without going full nuclear and forgetting you muted a word long after everyone else has moved on. Sure, it’d be even better if you could choose how long the filter lasts, but hey, when it comes to Threads, you take the wins where you can.

You can manage your mute filters on Settings > Content preferences > Hidden Words.

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Avatar for Marcus Mendes Marcus Mendes

Marcus Mendes is a Brazilian tech podcaster and journalist who has been closely following Apple since the mid-2000s.

He began covering Apple news in Brazilian media in 2012 and later broadened his focus to the wider tech industry, hosting a daily podcast for seven years.