Bluesky Enhances Accessibility: Users Can Now View Posts Without Logging In

Bluesky, the decentralized social network and Twitter alternative, has made a significant update by enabling users to view posts on its platform without the need to log in. While creating an account still requires an invitation, individuals can now read posts through shared links, broadening access for non-members.

This development also grants publishers the ability to link to or embed Bluesky posts in blogs, fostering seamless integration across various platforms. Furthermore, users can readily share these posts in both individual and group chats, enhancing content distribution and engagement.

Bluesky users have the option to toggle a setting within their account preferences, specifically under Settings > Moderation > Logged-out visibility, to control the visibility of their posts for non-logged-in users. However, it is important to note that this limitation solely applies to Bluesky’s website and official app. Third-party clients may not respect this toggle and still display users’ posts. To ensure limited audience reach, users can set their profiles to private.

In a recent blog post, CEO Jay Graber announced the introduction of a new butterfly emoji logo, symbolizing Bluesky’s mission to revolutionize social media. The butterfly emoji 🦋 gained popularity among users as it became associated with Bluesky handles, leading the company to embrace it as an official representation.

Bluesky has experienced significant growth this year, reaching 2 million users with the launch of its iOS and Android apps. The platform has also addressed concerns regarding content moderation by implementing various tools. While currently the sole instance on the AT Protocol, Bluesky aims to achieve federation in the early part of next year. This expansion will involve the integration of additional servers and instances compatible with Bluesky, each with its own set of rules.

Bluesky’s recent announcement aligns with Meta’s Threads experiment, which involves integrating with ActivityPub. Following Meta’s earlier declaration, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and the Threads team have made their accounts and posts visible on platforms like Mastodon and other compatible applications.