Is the grass greener at the different aspect? We’re no longer certain, however the sky is maximum definitely bluer. It’s been over two years since Elon Musk bought Twitter, now X, main folks to arrange store on choice platforms. Mastodon, Put up, Pebble (two of that have already shuttered operations) and Spill were introduced as attainable replacements, however few except for Meta’s Threads have accomplished the velocity of expansion Bluesky has reached.
As of February 2025, Bluesky has surpassed 30 million customers. Its expansion stems from a number of coverage adjustments at X, together with a closely criticized exchange to the block function and permitting 1/3 get together firms to educate their AI on customers’ posts, which helped the app bounce to the best of the U.S. App Retailer. Bluesky additionally noticed a large spice up following the result of the 2024 U.S. presidential election (which additionally contributed to an X exodus by way of Taylor Swift fanatics). However whilst the quantity is promising, the expansion has slowed — and the community has numerous catching as much as do to compete with Threads’ 275 million per thirty days energetic customers.
Under, we’ve compiled the solutions to one of the most maximum commonplace questions customers have about Bluesky. And for those who’ve made the transfer, you’ll apply TechCrunch right here in addition to our group with our Starter Pack.
What’s Bluesky?
Bluesky is a decentralized social app conceptualized by way of former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and advanced in parallel with Twitter. The social community has a Twitter-like person interface with algorithmic selection, a federated design and community-specific moderation.
Bluesky is the use of an open supply framework constructed in-house, the AT Protocol, that means folks out of doors of the corporate have transparency into how it’s constructed and what’s being advanced.
Dorsey offered the Bluesky venture again in 2019 whilst he used to be nonetheless Twitter CEO. On the time, he stated Twitter can be investment a “small unbiased group of as much as 5 open supply architects, engineers, and architects,” charged with development a decentralized usual for social media, with the unique purpose that Twitter would undertake this usual itself. However that used to be sooner than Elon Musk purchased the platform, so Bluesky is totally divorced from X.
As of Would possibly 2024, Dorsey is not on Bluesky’s board. Bluesky is now an unbiased public get advantages company led by way of CEO Jay Graber.
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How do you employ Bluesky?
Upon signing up, customers can create a manage which is then represented as @username.bsky.social in addition to a show title that looks extra outstanding in daring textual content. In case you’re so prone, you’ll flip a site title that you just personal into your username — so, for instance, I’m identified on Bluesky as @amanda.omg.lol.
The app itself purposes similar to X, the place you’ll click on a plus button to create a submit of 256 characters, which will additionally come with footage. Posts themselves will also be answered to, retweeted, preferred and, from a three-dot menu, reported, shared by means of the iOS Percentage Sheet to different apps, or copied as textual content.
You’ll seek for and apply different folks, then view their updates to your “House” timeline. In the past, the Bluesky app would function widespread posts in a “What’s Sizzling” feed. That feed has since been changed with an algorithmic and personalised “Uncover” feed that includes extra than simply trending content material.
For brand new customers, Bluesky offered a “Starter Pack” function, which creates a curated record of folks and customized feeds to apply with a view to to find attention-grabbing content material proper out of the gate. You’ll to find TechCrunch’s Starter Pack proper right here.
Person profiles comprise the similar type of options you’d be expecting: a profile pic, background, bio, metrics and what number of people they’re following. Profile feeds are divided into two sections, like X: posts and posts & replies. In January 2025, Bluesky additionally added a brand new video tab to person profiles.
There may be a “Uncover” tab within the backside heart of the app’s navigation, which gives extra “who to apply” ideas and a working feed of lately posted Bluesky updates. In January 2025, Bluesky additionally offered a vertical video feed to compete with TikTok.
We’ve additionally put in combination a useful information on tips on how to use Bluesky right here.
Who’s on Bluesky?
Through the start of July 2023, when Instagram’s Threads introduced, Bluesky crowned one million downloads throughout iOS and Android. Notable figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Cuban, Quinta Brunson, Dril, Bizarre Al Yankovic, Guillermo del Toro, Barbra Streisand, and Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have migrated to Bluesky.
Bluesky may be house to information organizations like Bloomberg, The Washington Put up, and naturally, TechCrunch! Since August 2024, Bluesky may be now permitting heads of state to enroll and sign up for the platform for the primary time.
In 2025, some outstanding U.S. political figures arrange accounts at the platform, like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Does Bluesky paintings identical to X?
In some ways, sure. When it first began, Bluesky used to be a lot more pared down and didn’t also have DMs, however this key function has since been carried out, even with emoji reactions. However DMs on Bluesky are these days restricted to one-to-one messages, no longer crew messages. Bluesky has additionally stated it’s thinking about enforcing one thing very similar to X’s Group Notes function. Moreover, X does no longer use a decentralized protocol like ActivityPub or AT. Bluesky has additionally been checking out a Trending Subjects function and growing its personal photograph sharing app referred to as Flashes, which is predicted to be launched in beta quickly.
In October 2024, Elon Musk introduced that X’s block function would paintings another way than it has up to now. The brand new block capability lets in customers you have got blocked to view your posts and your profile, however no longer the power to have interaction along with your posts. Some customers imagine this replace to be a security worry, resulting in an inflow in Bluesky sign-ups as its block function is extra conventional.
In every other transfer that separates Bluesky from X, the social community stated it has “no goal” of the use of person content material to coach generative AI gear as X carried out a brand new phrases of carrier that permits the platform to educate AI fashions on public posts. However that doesn’t prevent 1/3 events from doing so.
Whilst Bluesky used to be first of all kicked off as a venture convened by way of Jack Dorsey in 2019 when he used to be CEO of Twitter, the social app has been an unbiased corporate since its inception in 2021.
Is Bluesky loose?
Sure, and it’s now open to the general public.
How does Bluesky make cash?
Bluesky’s purpose is to seek out every other method to maintain its community out of doors of promoting with paid products and services, so it will possibly stay loose to finish customers. On July 5, 2023, Bluesky introduced further seed spherical investment and a paid carrier that gives customized domain names for finish customers who need to have a novel area as their manage at the carrier. Bluesky has additionally emphasised that it does no longer need to “require promoting person information for advertisements” with a view to monetize its platform.
In November 2024, Bluesky introduced it raised a $15 million Sequence A spherical and is growing a subscription carrier for top class options. Bluesky, then again, famous its subscription style is not going to apply within the footsteps of X’s “pay to win” top class choices. Customers have noticed mockups teasing the subscription function, dubbed Bluesky+, which might come with options like upper high quality video uploads and profile customizations.
In December 2024, Peter Wang introduced a $1 million fund, dubbed Skyseed, that can be offering grants to these development on Bluesky’s open supply AT Protocol.
Is Bluesky decentralized?
Sure. Bluesky’s group is growing the decentralized AT Protocol, which Bluesky used to be constructed atop. In its beta segment, customers can best sign up for the bsky.social community, however Bluesky plans to be federated, that means that never-ending for my part operated communities can exist throughout the open supply community. So, if a developer out of doors of Bluesky constructed their very own new social app the use of the AT Protocol, Bluesky customers may just leap over to the brand new app and port over their present fans, manage and knowledge.
“You’ll all the time have the liberty to select (and to go out) as an alternative of being held to the whims of personal firms or black field algorithms. And anywhere you move, your folks and relationships might be there too,” a Bluesky weblog submit defined.
What third-party apps are constructed at the AT Protocol?
Many builders are development consumer-facing apps on Bluesky or its underlying AT Protocol. Those apps are constructed on open era, versus being siloed inside of large tech’s centralized, opaque possession.
Some social apps come with Flashes, a photograph viewing consumer; Spark, a TikTok-like app; and Skylight Social, which is subsidized by way of Mark Cuban.
Take a look at our extra complete record at quite a lot of apps constructed inside of this ecosystem, together with cross-posting apps, tune apps, feed developers, and livestreamers.
Is Bluesky protected?
In October 2023, Bluesky added e-mail verification as a part of a bigger effort to enhance account safety and authentication at the community. The addition is the most important step ahead relating to making Bluesky extra aggressive with better networks like X, that have extra tough safety controls. In December 2023, Bluesky allowed customers to decide out of a transformation that will disclose their posts to the general public internet following backlash from customers.
Is Bluesky customizable?
Sure. In Would possibly 2023, Bluesky launched customized algorithms, which it calls “customized feeds.” Customized feeds permit customers to subscribe to more than one other algorithms that show off other sorts of posts a person would possibly need to see. You’ll pin customized feeds that can display up on the best of your timeline as other tabs to select from. The feeds you pin, or save, are positioned underneath the “My Feeds” menu within the app’s sidebar.
In March 2024, the corporate introduced “AT Protocol Grants,” a brand new program that can dole out small grants to builders with a view to foster expansion and customization. Probably the most recipients, SkyFeed, is a customized software that shall we someone construct their very own feeds the use of a graphical person interface.
Is Bluesky on iOS and Android?
Sure. Bluesky has rolled out to Android customers after it used to be first of all introduced to iOS customers. Customers can get right of entry to Bluesky on the net right here.
How does Bluesky take on incorrect information?
After an October 2023 replace, the app will now warn customers of deceptive hyperlinks by way of flagging them. If hyperlinks shared in customers’ posts don’t fit their textual content, the app will be offering a “perhaps deceptive” caution to the person to alert them that the hyperlink could also be directing them someplace they don’t need to move.
In December 2024, the Bluesky Protection group posted that the corporate up to date its impersonation coverage to be “extra competitive,” including that “impersonation and handle-squatting accounts might be got rid of.” The corporate stated it’s additionally exploring choices to its present area manage verification procedure.
Has Bluesky had any controversies?
Bluesky has been embattled with moderation problems since its first release. The app has been accused of failing to offer protection to its marginalized customers and failing to reasonable racist content material. Following an issue in regards to the app permitting racial slurs in account handles, annoyed customers initiated a “posting strike,” the place they refused to interact with the platform till it established guardrails to flag slurs and different offensive phrases in usernames.
In December 2024, Bluesky additionally confronted complaint when creator and podcast host Jesse Singal joined the platform. Singal has been cataloged by way of GLAAD’s Responsibility Venture for his writings on transgender problems and different issues. Bluesky customers have reported Singal’s account en masse, main the corporate to prohibit him, reinstate him, after which label his account illiberal by way of its moderation carrier.
What moderation options does Bluesky have?
In December 2023, Bluesky rolled out “extra complex automatic tooling” designed to flag content material that violates its Group Pointers that can then be reviewed by way of the app’s moderation group. Bluesky has moderation options very similar to ones on X, together with person lists and moderation lists, and a function that shall we customers prohibit who can respond to posts. Then again, some Bluesky customers are nonetheless advocating for the power to set their accounts to non-public.
In March 2024, the corporate introduced Ozone, a device that shall we customers create and run their very own unbiased moderation products and services that can give customers “remarkable keep an eye on” over their social media revel in. In October 2024, Bluesky joined Instragram’s Threads app with the intention to courtroom customers who had been annoyed by way of Meta’s moderation problems.
In January 2025, Bluesky revealed its 2024 moderation file that stated it noticed a 17x building up sparsely studies following the fast expansion at the platform. The file additionally famous that the most important selection of studies got here from customers reporting accounts or posts for harassment, trolling, or intolerance — a subject that’s plagued Bluesky because it’s grown. To satisfy the calls for led to by way of this expansion, Bluesky greater its moderation group to kind of 100 moderators and can proceed to rent.
Bluesky made over its Group Pointers in August 2025, with one of the most adjustments representing an effort by way of Bluesky to purposefully form its network and the conduct of its customers.
What’s the variation between Bluesky and Mastodon?
Although Bluesky’s structure is very similar to Mastodon’s, many customers have discovered Bluesky to be extra intuitive, whilst Mastodon can come off as inaccessible: Opting for which example to enroll in appears like an not possible activity on Mastodon, and longtime customers are very defensive about their established posting norms, which may make becoming a member of the dialog intimidating. To stay aggressive, Mastodon lately simplified its sign-up glide, making mastodon.social the default server for brand spanking new customers.
Then again, the release of federation will make it paintings extra in a similar fashion to Mastodon in that customers can pick out and make a choice which servers to enroll in and transfer their accounts round at will.
Who owns Bluesky?
Although Jack Dorsey funded Bluesky, he isn’t concerned about daily construction and not sits at the corporate’s board. The CEO of Bluesky is Jay Graber, who prior to now labored as a tool engineer for the cryptocurrency Zcash, then based an event-planning website referred to as Taking place.
You probably have extra FAQs about Bluesky no longer lined right here, go away us a remark under.
This tale used to be at the start revealed in Would possibly 2023 and is up to date ceaselessly with new knowledge.
