Bluesky will differ from Twitter in terms of its algorithmic preferences where users get the choice to subscribe to custom feeds. With Graysky, Bluesky takes a more decentralized approach.
Bluesky, a Twitter alternative backed by Jack Dorsey got its first third-party app from mobile users, dubbed Graysky. So far, there have been numerous projects already built on Bluesky’s API, and are currently under testing.
However, Graysky became the first to ship to the Apple App Store and is now available for preorder with a launch date of October 21. Sooner or later, Bluesky also plans to bring Graysky to the Android platform. The application pledges an enhanced Bluesky experience with extra features, including GIF support, seamless translation, a convenient means to view all likes, a primary focus on feeds, hashtag functionality, and more.
Developed by Samuel Newman, a London-based software engineer, the motivation behind creating a Bluesky client wasn’t primarily rooted in the company’s decentralized networking protocol, the AT Protocol. This protocol would eventually enable Bluesky to function more like Mastodon, allowing users to establish interconnected servers. Instead, as Newman elaborates, Bluesky stood out because it simply offers a superior Twitter experience.
Here’s What Graysky Has to Offer
While Bluesky has introduced the feature for likes on user profiles, Graysky intends to maintain its edge over the official app by offering additional features not present in Bluesky. For instance, Graysky allows users to view everyone’s likes, akin to Twitter/X. It also facilitates sending GIFs powered by Tenor, ensuring backward compatibility with the official app, and supports in-thread translation.
A significant distinction between Bluesky and Twitter/X is their approach to algorithmic preferences through custom feeds. This means Bluesky users have the choice to subscribe to custom feeds. This will also allow the company or other developers to curate and filter network posts in various ways, instead of being confined to an algorithmic “For You” timeline.
In Graysky, users begin their experience by accessing the feed of their preference directly from the main tab. If users wish to explore additional feeds to follow, the app offers a discovery interface for browsing through feeds created by others.
Moreover, the app incorporates a search interface that allows users to discover other users, posts, and feeds. This is in contrast to Bluesky’s mobile app, which solely supports searching for users and posts. Newman said that he sees Graysky as something that’s more open-ended and more like email. He added:
“It is really interesting. It sidesteps a lot of the problem that Twitter is having in terms of, you know, megalomaniacs in charge, and also moderation.”
Newman also added that the decentralized aspect of Graysky would allow users to “sweep annoying users into obscurity instead of outright banning them”.
Future Updates to the Graysky App
In the coming updates, Newman envisions incorporating various new features into the app. These include support for drafts, bookmarks, automatically generated alt text, the ability to mute specific words, create polls, enhance notification management, offer more home feed customization options, implement improved content filters, enable post tagging with language or content warnings, and introduce list functionality.
Initially, the Graysky app will be free to use without the in-app purchases. However, Newman plans to introduce a fee of ~£3.99 per month. This will be for conducting polls on the platform and other post-analytics services.
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Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.
