Bluesky Opens App, Bringing Open Social Media to Everyone

Over 1.7 Million Users have Joined Bluesky since it Evolved from its Invite-Only Beta Version

SEATTLE, Feb. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluesky, the open social network, unlocked its doors on February 6, 2024 so that anyone may now use the app. Since its 2023 app launch, Bluesky grew to more than 3M users through an invite-only beta, and has seen that number balloon to 5M users in the two weeks since opening its service. Over the last year, Bluesky has developed custom feeds, custom moderation features, and more, creating a place where anyone can contribute. Bluesky's first-ever meetup took place in Tokyo in April 2023, and since announcing users could join without an invite code, Bluesky became the #1 social app in Japan. Bluesky hopes more Japanese users join the conversation.

New users are welcomed with a "plug-and-play" experience that is as customizable as they want it to be, with no technical knowledge required. As an open-source platform, Bluesky allows anyone to contribute features they want; current highlights include video and music embeds for YouTube and Spotify and more than 40,000 custom feeds that users can choose from to see the content they want - from fan art to recipes the list has no end. If someone can imagine it and wants to build a community, they can build the feed on Bluesky.

"We made Bluesky so users can easily discover interesting content from a vibrant network of communities," said Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky. "During our beta period, we used an invite system to manage growth while building out our infrastructure and were happy to see people start creating their own community on Bluesky. Now, we're welcoming everyone in."

Creating a New Social Media Experience
The Bluesky App works atop the AT Protocol, an open-source foundation for building a network of interconnected social apps that the Bluesky team develops. What makes this special for users is a whole new ability to freely move their personal accounts between the apps that are built on the federated, open network. People can now keep their friends, relationships, feeds, and content when changing from app to app – no need to start a new account from scratch whenever they want to join a new AT Protocol-based social network.