Meta discussions took a significant step forward with the global launch of its personalized feeds feature, as a competing platform Blue sky is growing rapidly, surpassing 20 million users (via TechCrunch).

The new Custom Feeds feature is designed to give Threads users more control over their content, providing enhanced personalization options to stay competitive in an evolving social media landscape.

With this update, Threads hopes to bridge the gap between users looking for more targeted conversations and niche communities, an area where Bluesky has been gaining ground.

Creating a custom feed is easy. Users can search for a topic, tap the three-dot icon next to the search term, and select “create new feed.” Additionally, individual user profiles can be added by going to their profile, selecting the three-dot menu and assigning them to a feed.

Once created, these feeds can be pinned to the top of the Threads home screen on the web, providing easy access in a layout reminiscent of X Pro (formerly TweetDeck).

Meta’s decision to roll out personalized feeds globally comes just days after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the feature was entering the testing phase. This rapid deployment underscores Threads’ urgency to counter Bluesky’s momentum.

Since the US election, Bluesky has seen a surge in users, fueled by dissatisfaction with changes to X, including changes to the blocking feature and policies allowing AI training on user data. Bluesky’s user base grew from 7 million to over 20 million in just a few months, capitalizing on user demand for alternative platforms.

Despite this growth, Threads remains the leader among X competitors, with more than 275 million monthly users, thanks to its integration with Instagram’s social graph and Meta’s app ecosystem.

Threads’ custom feeds address one of the platform’s top user requests: greater control over content beyond the default algorithmic “For You” feed and chronological “Next” feed.

Although Threads has been praised for its large user base, some users have criticized the platform for deprioritizing political content. The introduction of customizable feeds is a direct response to these concerns, aiming to cater to a wider audience with diverse interests.