New Features Rollout on Bluesky Social Network
The decentralized social platform Bluesky recently announced the implementation of a new in-app video and music player that supports content from platforms like YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Twitch. In addition, they’ve introduced a functionality to “hide posts” from user feeds, enhancing user experience to be more comparable to that of Twitter.
User Control Over Media Playback
Distinct from Twitter, where videos automatically play, Bluesky’s in-app player prioritizes user control by requiring a tap to start videos or music. This feature allows users to decide if and when they want to engage with multimedia content, avoiding the surprise of automatic playback.
Hiding Unwanted Posts
The innovative “hide post” feature on Bluesky provides users with the option to remove undesired content from their feeds permanently. If a user happens upon a hidden post while navigating the platform directly, it will be obscured, a commitment to user preference and content control by the network.
Bug Fixes and Improvements
Along with these new features, Bluesky has successfully addressed a glitch that was causing muted and blocked account lists to appear empty. They’ve also rectified an issue leading to an empty home screen and resolved a crash bug affecting thread interactions, thereby improving the overall stability and usability of the platform.
Expanded Access and Sharing Capabilities
Recent updates from Bluesky include the allowance for users to view posts without being logged in, widening content accessibility. Although posting on the platform still requires an invite, the option to read through shared links enables publishers to embed Bluesky content in blogs and users to distribute posts in personal and group chats.
Growth and Future Federation Plans
Since the launch of its iOS and Android applications in February, Bluesky has gained substantial traction with 2 million users as of the previous month. As the exclusive instance running on the AT Protocol presently, Bluesky aims to transition to a federated model early next year. This shift will give the platform a resemblance to a more open social network like Mastodon, where users have the freedom to select servers and migrate their accounts as they wish
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