The official Threads account announced a test in Ireland, Italy and Japan on October 29, 2026: With Threads Friends, a post appears only to a maximum of 50 selected people instead of to all followers. Germany is not one of the test countries. Meta has not yet named a date for additional countries.
How does the list work?
The list is created in the settings under „Threads Friends“. Only people who follow you can be added, and no more than 50 fit on it. When writing a post, you use the options to decide whether only the list gets to see it; according to the Threads Help Center, the selection can also be edited directly there.
Threads Friends at a glance
Test since October 29, 2026 in Ireland, Italy and Japan
- Up to 50 people on the list
- Only people who follow you can be added to the list
- Members can see that they are on the list
- Notification when adding or removing
- Access to old posts after removal
- Available in Germany
Test with no date for additional countries
Sources: Threads, Instagram Help Center
List members see the note „Threads Friends“ on the post and thus know that you have selected them. If someone reacts with a like or a reply, the other members see the username and the type of reaction. Threads does not send a notification when someone is added or removed.
What counts is always the list as it currently looks. Newly added people also read older Friends posts, and removed people lose access to everything you previously sent to the list. If someone no longer follows you, that person is automatically removed from the list.
What applies in Germany?
In Germany, you cannot use Threads Friends yet. The help page notes that the feature may not yet be available in your region, and it is so far only available in English. According to Social Media Today, however, people can be added to a list regardless of their location. If you follow someone from Ireland, Italy or Japan, that person can therefore add you to their list. You will then see their Friends posts without having the feature yourself.
How does the list differ from Instagram and X?
Instagram has known the principle since November 2018: With „Close Friends“, Stories go only to a self-selected group. Threads transfers the idea to regular posts in the feed.
X, then still Twitter, launched a similar list for up to 150 people called Circle in August 2022. In May 2023, the company confirmed a security incident in which people outside a Circle could possibly see such posts. As of October 31, 2023, X discontinued the feature, as TechCrunch reported. The Threads list is significantly smaller with 50 instead of 150 spots, and Meta is initially testing it in three countries.
What this means for you
For creators and self-employed people, the list becomes interesting as soon as it arrives in Germany: as an early-access channel for regular customers, for insights into ongoing projects, or for drafts for which you are seeking honest feedback from a small circle.
It is best to put the list together by purpose and not mix customers with private contacts, because all members see who among the others reacted and how. Before posting sensitive content, it is worth taking a look at the list, because newly added people also read earlier Friends posts.
Until the test reaches Germany, you still have the „Close Friends“ list on Instagram for Stories in a small circle. Which posts go to everyone and which only to the close circle, you best plan right away in your content calendar.
Threads announced the test on October 29, 2026.
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