Meta’s text-based social network launched in July 2023 was Threads.
Instagram introduced Threads on July 5, 2023, as a platform for text updates and public conversations. Users could sign in with an Instagram account, follow many of the same accounts and share posts containing text, links, photos and videos. This connection helped Threads attract a large initial audience.
The launch occurred shortly after Twitter, later renamed X, changed access and product policies. As a result, many commentators described Threads as a competitor in the short-form, text-centered social-networking market. Threads was developed by Instagram’s team but operated as a separate service with its own feed and interface.
A different application called Threads had previously been released by Instagram in 2019 for messaging with close friends. That earlier app was discontinued in 2021. The 2023 service is therefore the relevant answer when the question refers to Meta’s text-based social network.