In a significant shift for the social media landscape, Meta's text-based platform, Threads, has officially surpassed X, formerly known as Twitter, in daily active users on mobile devices. This milestone, confirmed by data from January 2026, signals a change in how people, including millions in Nigeria, engage with social platforms on their smartphones.
The Numbers: A Clear Shift in Mobile Engagement
Fresh figures from the digital market intelligence firm Similarweb reveal the extent of this change. The data shows that Threads recorded approximately 141.5 million daily active mobile users, edging past X, which logged around 125 million daily mobile users across both iOS and Android systems. This comparison is based strictly on daily mobile app usage and does not include traffic from desktop or web platforms.
The gap, while seemingly modest, is crucial in the competitive social media market where daily engagement directly influences advertising revenue, creator influence, and cultural impact. The data indicates a steady evolution in user habits rather than a sudden spike caused by a single event.
Why Threads Is Gaining Ground on Smartphones
Threads' rise is deeply connected to its integration within Meta's wider ecosystem. From its launch, the platform benefited from a seamless connection with Instagram, allowing users to sign in effortlessly, follow existing contacts, and share content across apps. This convenience is a key driver for mobile adoption, where ease of use often determines which apps people open daily.
Furthermore, Threads has consistently rolled out updates focused on the mobile experience. Features like improved content discovery algorithms, better moderation tools, and the development of community-focused conversations have all contributed to increasing the time users spend on the app. These changes are designed with the smartphone user in mind, reinforcing Threads' position as a mobile-first platform.
In contrast, while X remains a central hub for real-time news and live commentary, its product developments over the past year have not consistently translated into higher daily mobile engagement. The data suggests users are increasingly spreading their attention across multiple apps.
What This Means for the Future of Social Media
This development does not mean the end for X or the absolute dominance of Threads. Instead, it highlights a more fragmented social media environment where users maintain profiles on several platforms for different purposes. X continues to see strong engagement on the web, particularly for breaking news and political discourse.
However, Threads' mobile growth demonstrates how Meta is successfully carving out a substantial space in text-based social networking. The key takeaway is that daily mobile users are becoming a defining metric for platform health. In regions like Nigeria, where mobile phones are the primary gateway to the internet, this metric offers a clearer picture of genuine, habitual engagement than total registered accounts.
As social media habits continue to evolve, mobile engagement will likely remain the strongest indicator of which platforms are successfully holding users' attention day after day. The competition for that attention is now more open than ever, with platforms like Threads and Bluesky challenging the status quo.
