An independent developer, Sebastian Vogelsang, is building a photo-sharing app called Flashes for Bluesky, an open-source social network with over 27.5 million users. The new app leverages the same technology that powers Bluesky and its other apps, including the AT Protocol. This move aims to cater to growing demand for alternatives to Big Tech’s social media monopoly.
Flashes will offer a unique experience by focusing on visual content and differentiating itself from Meta’s Instagram-like interface. Instead of replicating Instagram’s features, Flashes will support photo posts with up to four images and videos up to one minute in length, allowing users to share their photos and videos without sacrificing the Bluesky user graph.
The app is not meant to be an Instagram clone, but rather a complementary experience that allows users to tap into the growing demand for decentralized social media alternatives. By reusing existing code from Vogelsang’s earlier Bluesky client, Skeets, Flashes was able to develop quickly and efficiently.
Flashes will also allow users to market to Skeets’ existing user base of over 30,500 downloads. The developer plans to integrate subscription-based features from both apps to avoid duplicate payments for premium features. In the future, Vogelsang aims to launch a video-only app called Blue Screen, expanding the Bluesky ecosystem further.
The app is expected to be launched in weeks, with a TestFlight beta arriving before its public release. Interested users can follow Flashes’ account on Bluesky for updates.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/bluesky-is-getting-its-own-photo-sharing-app-flashes