Threads users are about to notice a change that has been brewing for months: advertising is coming to the feed. Meta confirmed that, starting the week of January 26, Threads will begin showing ads to users in all markets globally, a significant shift for a platform that had remained relatively “clean” from the typical advertising pressure of social media.

When will you start seeing ads on Threads?

Meta announced that “starting next week” it will expand ads on Threads to all users globally, specifically from the week of January 26. This marks a turning point because Threads—positioned as an alternative to X—is moving from an experience more focused on organic posts to officially becoming a product with advertising monetization at its core.

The company also makes it clear that this move didn't come out of nowhere: the global expansion comes after ads were enabled for advertisers in a previous phase, and after testing in select markets last year. In other words: what was seen as an “experiment” is now becoming platform policy, and for the average user, it means one thing: scrolling will no longer be just posts from people and accounts you follow.

How will your Threads feed change?

The key to the announcement isn't just that there will be ads, but how they'll arrive: Meta says that advertising on Threads is powered by its AI-powered ad system, the same approach it uses on Facebook and Instagram. This means that, in theory, ads will maintain a level of personalization similar to what already exists in the rest of the Meta ecosystem (yes, those kinds of ads that appear just when you were thinking about something).

Threads was positioning itself as a less saturated space and, for many, a “fresher” one than other social networks. With ads in the feed, Threads enters the inevitable stage of every massive social network: growth, retention, and then monetization. The risk is obvious: if advertising is perceived as intrusive or disrupts the rhythm of consumption,The user feels it quickly; but Meta's bet is that its targeting machinery will make those ads "tolerable" by making them more relevant.

What kind of ads will you see on Threads?

Meta also showed a demo of what the ads will look like and indicated several formats: image ads, video, carousel, as well as options like "Advantage+Catalog" and app ads. This suggests that Threads doesn't just want to "insert ads," but offer a full menu of formats ready for performance, catalogs, and downloads, very much in line with Meta's traditional advertising stack.

In practice, this opens up two interpretations. For creators and publishers: the feed changes, and you'll have to fight harder for attention (because now you're also competing against paid campaigns). For brands: Threads is ceasing to be a secondary channel and is beginning to become a serious advertising inventory, backed by Meta's targeting and infrastructure. If Threads manages to introduce ads without breaking the experience, it could establish itself as the most stable alternative to X within the mainstream universe. But if the user feels that the platform has lost its appeal, the narrative can shift quickly: from "the social network that feels new" to "just another app with ads," precisely when the market is tired of feeds that resemble catalogs.