Bluesky Social Network Enhances User Experience with New Media Features and Privacy Controls

The decentralized social network Bluesky is introducing fresh capabilities to improve its platform's usability, inching closer to the user experience offered by platforms like Twitter. A notable update includes the integration of a new in-app video and music player. This enhancement supports media from popular services such as YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Twitch. A key difference from some other social platforms is that Bluesky's media player will not play content automatically. Users must actively choose to engage with the media by initiating playback themselves.

Moreover, Bluesky is implementing a "hide post" option. This facility lets users select a post they prefer not to encounter again by effectively concealing it. Once employed, the feature ensures the unwanted content is no longer displayed in the users' feeds and is obscured if they opt to access the link directly, reflecting the network's consideration for personal content preferences.

These features are part of a series of updates aimed at refining the user experience. Bluesky has efficiently resolved several bugs, including one that caused accounts that had been muted or blocked to appear as blank listings. Also addressed were issues leading to an occasionally blank home screen and crashes that some users experienced when navigating through conversation threads.

Bluesky's recent developments continue with the platform now allowing non-users to view public posts without the need for an account, though posting still requires an invitation. This adjustment is a boon for content visibility, granting publishers the ability to link or embed Bluesky content and enabling users to share posts via direct messages or within group chats.

Since the launch of its applications on both iOS and Android in February, Bluesky's user base has witnessed significant growth, reaching the 2 million mark in the previous month. Although Bluesky is the sole operator on the AT Protocol presently, plans for federation are on the horizon. The platform's goal is to transition into a more open social network reminiscent of Mastodon next year. This shift would provide users the choice to join various servers and possess the flexibility to transfer their accounts freely across the network.