Truth Social, the social media platform launched by former US President Donald Trump, has turned out to be a disaster, according to the BBC. Trump had announced this platform in response to Twitter, which banned the former US president after his supporters attacked the US Capitol last year. Twitter said Trump falsely claimed the presidential election was stolen, leading to the violence on Jan. 6, 2021.
The BBC tested the two-engineer Truth Social platform and said a waiting list of nearly 1.5 million people can’t use it. It was launched on February 21 this year.
Truth Social is not available on Android phones, web browsers, or for people living outside of the US. The app is only available for download on an iPhone in the United States.
According to Similar Web, Truth Social is not in the top 100 most downloaded apps, and the list is ruled by YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
US news website Axios said Truth Social is plagued by “technical issues”, preventing the app from being released to all users.
Trump loyalist Devin Nunes had said the app will be “fully operational” by the end of March.
A Business Insider employee was able to register and use the app after clearing the waiting list after three weeks. The reporter said Truth Social didn’t have much original content and has a very limited number of accounts.
A big topic, like the war between Russia and Ukraine, was minimal involvement.
Like Twitter, this platform also fills a user’s feed with posts from users they follow. But these posts are called “truths” and are usually linked articles on websites, according to Business Insider. It is being overrun by bots, the publication said.
Reuters news agency reported Monday that the two engineers — Josh Adams and Billy Boozer, the company’s heads of technology and product development — stepped down at a pivotal time for the company’s smartphone app release plans.