Threads Just Added Better TweetDeck Feature
Until now, the Meta Threads website has been stuck trying to catch up with both the native Threads app and the more mature functionality of X. All of this is about to change with the addition of a new column view that allows you to create multiple columns with different timelines. This could be your mentions, likes, or even updates from a certain page or topic. Oh, and what’s even better is that there’s an auto-update feature so you can follow the news in real time, too.
This is similar to TweetDeck, an innovative product for news buffs that is now part of the paid X Pro plan . Thanks to this change, the Threads website is now the best way to interact with the product, and after a couple of days of use, I found myself wanting the same column view in the iPhone app. Here’s how it works.
How to use the new Pin menu in the Themes sidebar to add columns
First, you’ll notice a new pin icon at the bottom of the sidebar. Use this menu to quickly pin timelines such as For You, Following, Saved, Activity, etc. Once pinned, the timeline will appear as columns on the right side of the existing channel. You can keep adding new columns and the horizontal scroll will keep expanding.
From this Main Menu Pin menu, you can also search for keywords or profiles that can be added as columns. Just click a profile or keyword here.
How to Freeze Columns from Anywhere and Enable Automatic Refresh
But this is not the only way to use the pin function. When you open a profile or search for a topic and open search results, you’ll see a new menu icon in the top right corner. Click on it and select the “Pin to Home Page” button to add it as a column.
By default, the new column will be static and will not have automatic updating enabled. Once you’ve added columns, click the three-dot menu button above any columns you want to update and turn on the automatic update feature. Then be sure to switch to the Latest tab in these columns to see all the latest posts.
Once you’re done following news or events, you can click the Menu button and select the Unpin option to easily remove a column from the Threads website.
ThreadsDeck is still too young
Unfortunately, this is where the comparison with TweetDeck ends. While you can add columns to the Threads website, they cannot be customized. You cannot change the size or order of the columns to suit your needs. Another glaring omission is that you can’t turn on auto-refresh for the For You section.
We hope Threads adds these features in the future (native apps for Mac and iPad would be a big deal). For now, the fact that there’s a column view alone will make many old-school Twitter users feel right at home. It’s already gaining a following: fans are calling the new interface ThreadsDeck , and of course there’s a thread dedicated to it on Threads where you can see how users are adapting to the new feature.