Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey launched his Twitter alternative Bluesky on Apple's App Store on Tuesday. The app offers similar features to Twitter, including a home timeline of posts from people you follow, a discovery tab, and a feed of recently posted Bluesky updates. Posts can be replied to, reposted, liked - and reported. According to TechCrunch, it is an invite-only social network.
The app closely resembles Twitter, from the timeline to profile pages. According to a report by The Verge, Mr Dorsey has been working on an app powered by its open-source social protocol for months now, called the Authenticated Transfer Protocol, or "AT Protocol" for short. Mr Dorsey-backed app describes it as a "federated social network" where separate networks exist within a single hub.
The app is based on four ideals: account portability; algorithmic; performance; and interoperability. The app was launched on February 17, 2023, and has over 2,000 installs. The app isn't yet included on any Top Charts in the US, and Google Play does not have it. The app was first developed within Twitter beginning in 2019.
TechCrunch writes, "In texts, Dorsey explained to Musk that a 'new platform is needed. It can't be a company. This is why I left .' (Dorsey exited the CEO role at the social network in November 2021 but remained on Twitter's board through May 2022.)"
"This framework," according to The Verge, "is supposed to allow you to easily transfer your account data to another Bluesky provider as well as give you more control over what you see on a network, among other things."
The website doesn't offer any details about when the app could become available to the general public.
Last year, Bluesky received $13 million to ensure it had the freedom and independence to begin working on R&D.
