Want to use GIFs on Threads? Here’s how…

By now we all know that Meta – via its Instagram team – has rolled out a Twitter competitor called Threads. It racked up an impressive 50 million signups in the first day, and is on something of a roll.

And while it’s very much an alternative to Twitter, it is missing a few features in this initial rollout period. Chief among those is the ability to add GIFs to your posts natively. Thankfully, there is a workaround, and it’s a pretty simple one. All you need is a third-party keyboard from the App Store or Google Play Store. Enter: Microsoft SwiftKey.

How to use GIFs when posting to Threads on iPhone

The process for both iPhone and Android is fairly similar, but let’s start off with iPhone first. Since Apple’s own stock keyboard doesn’t have GIF support built-in, what you need to do is install a third-party option that does. The most consistent for this particular feature – in our testing – has been Microsoft’s SwiftKey app. So, first, head to the App Store on your iPhone and download SwiftKey.

Now you need to enable the keyboard and make sure it’s working and selected. Follow the steps below to ensure it’s working:

1. Open the app and hit ‘Get Started’
2. Sign in to create an account or hit ‘Not Now’ to skip
3. Keep skipping until you get to the screen that says ‘Allow full access’
4. Head to your iPhone Settings > General > Keyboards
5. Select ‘Keyboards’ and on the next screen tap ‘Swiftkey’
6. Toggle on the ‘Allow Full Access’ toggle to enable predictions

Now the keyboard app should work as it’s intended to work, to get started with GIFs open the Threads app and follow the steps below:

1. Start a new post – or tap the icon to reply to an existing post
2. When the keyboard pops up, tap and hold the globe icon in the corner
3. Choose ‘SwiftKey’ to switch from the default Apple keyboard
4. Now tap ‘GIF’ or tap the four squares icon and choose ‘GIF’ on the next screen
5. Scroll through the suggested moods or trending GIFs, or search for one
6. Tap on the GIF you want to share, and you’ll see ‘Copied, now paste above’
7. Double-tap on your new Threads post, and hit ‘Paste’
8. Your GIF should appear, now post it.

How to GIF in Threads on Android

The process for Android is similar to the iPhone method but not identical due to how they both manage third-party keyboards a little differently. For whatever reason, at the time of writing – despite the fact it supports GIFs – Gboard doesn’t seem to work with Threads on this feature. So – again – your first step is downloading SwiftKey from the Play Store. You can download it below.

Once downloaded, follow the steps below to get it working on your phone:

1. Open SwiftKey
2. Select ‘Enable SwiftKey’ and it should take you to the ‘On-screen keyboard’ settings screen
3. Toggle on ‘Microsoft SwiftKey’
4. If you get a pop-up notice about privacy – tap ‘OK’
5. Now tap ‘Select SwiftKey’ and you’ll get a pop-up to choose your input method
6. Choose ‘Microsoft SwiftKey’ in the pop-up window

Now that SwiftKey has been chosen as your default typing method, you can use the built-in GIF finder to insert GIFs into your Threads posts. Follow the steps below to do it:

1. Open Threads and start a new post, or choose to reply to a post
2. When SwiftKey pops up, tap ‘GIF’ in the toolbar across the top row
3. Now search for a GIF, or use the emotion/trending/recent bar at the bottom
4. Tap on the GIF you want, and it’ll automatically add it to the post
5. Hit ‘Post’ to set it live

This is just one of the tips we’ve found since downloading and using Threads. For more, check out our guide on getting started with Threads.