Bluesky, the decentralized social network and microblogging platform conceptualized by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has announced a major update. Firstly, the app has a new logo—a blue butterfly. Second, the purported Twitter/X alternative, which remains invite-only, now lets anyone see posts and profiles without logging in. It has also added support for RSS feeds for profiles.
Bluesky has a new logo, a blue butterfly
At launch, Bluesky had a logo fitting to its name—blue sky with clouds. However, according to the company’s CEO Jay Graber, “people were organically using the butterfly emoji to indicate their Bluesky handles.” Hence, they decided to adopt it as the new logo. Graber says the butterfly speaks to their mission, which is “transforming social media into something new.”
Along with introducing a new logo, the app has added new features too. Firstly, you no longer need to sign in to see posts on Blusky. For example, this official announcement is visible to anyone. You can even click on the profile handle to see details such as the list of followers, total posts, and more. Users have the option to hide posts from people who aren’t logged in, though.
Additionally, Bluesky now supports the sharing of posts in group chats. It has also added RSS feeds for profiles, allowing anyone to discover posts by pasting profile links into an RSS feed reader. Version 1.61 of the app introduces an in-app video and music player too. If a post includes a link to YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, or Twitch, you can play the media within the app. Bluesky doesn’t yet support autoplay.
Last but not least, the latest Bluesky update allows users to hide posts that they find offensive or don’t want to see again for any other reason. It will not show up on your feeds. Even if you visit it directly, the post will be behind a mask and you have to manually unmask it to see it. This feature is currently in beta and may not work properly. Hidden posts aren’t synced between your devices.
The new update also fixes bugs and improves stability
Alongside adding new features, Bluesky has ironed out several bugs too. These include the lists of muted and blocked accounts appearing empty, the homescreen going blank, the app crashing while interacting with threads, and modals floating to the top of the screen. “We built Bluesky to be a home for public conversation,” Graber said. “The Twitter bird freed from a closed platform to fly in Bluesky’s open ecosystem.”
2023-12-28 15:09:04