Bluesky Is Getting Its Own Instagram (Sort Of)

Credit: Images courtesy of Sebastian Vogelsang

If you are one of the millions who joined Bluesky in recent months, it's likely you're turned off by establishment social media platforms. You probably don't care for sites with predatory data privacy policies, or those that placate to incoming presidential administrations with a disdain for the truth. Maybe you enjoy an online space where people can share thoughts, content, and jokes in a way that doesn't explicit seek to anger or hurt anyone for profit.

Of course, Bluesky has you covered there, at least as a replacement for X. But if you enjoy sharing photos and videos with the wider internet, you're likely still tied to Instagram—like it or not. There are other options out there, like Pixelfed, a decentralized photo sharing platform that now has an official app. But if you're all-in on Bluesky, it'd be great if you could harness the same experience with the community you've started to build there.

That's why Flashes is one of the more interesting social media concepts I've seen recently. The app, developed by Sebastian Vogelsang, is based off of his earlier app Skeets, a subscription-optional Bluesky client with a emphasis on accessibility, among other features (if you want to be able to edit your posts, for example, Skeets uses a nifty workaround to do it). But for Flashses, Vogelsang's focus was to make an Instagram-like experience for photos and videos shared on Bluesky.

That's the thing: Flashes isn't really an Instagram competitor. There is no Flashes platform, you won't sign up for a Flashes account, and you won't post photos or videos to a dedicated Flashes feed. Instead, the app is a "photo viewing client" for Bluesky. It essentially pulls all of the photos and videos from your Bluesky feed and displays them in a UI reminiscent of Instagram. You can post photos and videos via Flashes, but you're really just posting them on Bluesky. Any posts to Flashes, as well as any comments on those posts, will appear on your Bluesky account as well.

If you're intrigued, unfortunately you'll have to wait a bit before you can try it: The official Flashes App Bluesky account only started posting today, and Vogelsang anticipates starting an open Testflight Beta next week for iOS users. But once the app officially launches, you'll be able to use it post four photos or videos at a time. (Videos can be up to one minute each.)

According to TechCrunch, Vogelsand also plans to launch a video-only version of Flashes, called Blue Screen. Perhaps that will be a valid TikTok alternative for truly passionate Bluesky users.

The news of Flashes comes at an uncertain time for legacy social media. Users have flown from X to alternatives like Bluesky; the United States government is on the verge of banning TikTok, prompting users to flee to other Chinese apps in protest; and Meta is repelling many of its users with its bizarre and frustrating decisions. We seem to be at an inflection point, and people are looking for new, alternative platforms. If you've already built-up your Bluesky follows, I don't see a better photo sharing solution than one that simply works with the app you're already so invested in.