Can you delete your Threads account without losing your Instagram profile?

Threads users have been having trouble when deleting their accounts namely, it also deletes their Instagram profiles too. Opening a Threads account is linked to your Instagram account, hence the confusing situation in which you may accidentally delete both.

This comes from the privacy policy of Instagram, which states: “Your Threads profile is part of your Instagram account, and may be deleted at any time by deleting your Instagram account.”

This issue arises because Threads requires users to have an existing Instagram account before signing up. When users download and open the app, they have the option to import their bio information and followers from their Instagram profile.

A Meta spokesperson told Insider in an email, adding, “This is something we’re working on.”

In response to complaints from users, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Bosworth, acknowledged the issue and mentioned that the company is currently addressing it. Under the username ‘boztank’, the developer acknowledged the deletion was an “edge case”, but the company was “fixing it.”

This response was posted on Threads in reply to Dani Fernandez, a writer and actor who shared a screenshot of the current policy and called for Meta to make changes.

So at present, don’t delete either account if you want to keep the other.

Threads versus Twitter

It has been reported that Alex Spiro, the lawyer representing Twitter, sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, claiming that Instagram Threads used confidential information and proprietary assets from Twitter.

Spiro, who happens to be Elon Musk’s personal attorney as well, stated that Meta employed numerous ex-Twitter staff members to develop Instagram Threads. Considering the significant downsizing at Twitter, Meta’s decision to attract skilled professionals from their rival seems strategically advantageous.

“Competition is fine, cheating is not,” tweeted Elon Musk.