Bluesky gets a new logo. Ricardo Jiménez/Getty Images
Bluesky just made it easier for anyone to view specific posts. With the latest website and app update, you can now view Bluesky publications without being logged in or using an account. The new capacity was deployed late last week, according to a blog post from Bluesky CEO Jay Graber.
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The only limitation is that you cannot simply browse different profiles and posts from the home page without being logged in. You need to know the specific profile name or post link you want to see. However, you can search for a particular user by their full name or username to view their profile and all their posts.
With the new option, all publications are accessible to everyone. You don’t want your posts to be seen by the public? Go to the Moderation tab on the website or in the app and enable the “Discourage apps from showing my account to logged out users” button. This will keep your profile and posts visible only to logged in Bluesky users; however, other applications may not respect this setting, depending on the switch description.
A new beta feature also lets you hide an individual post if you don’t want to see it again. Available in the ellipsis icon menu, the “Hide Post” command will remove it from your feeds and put a mask behind it if you visit it directly via a link.
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With Bluesky still available by invite or waitlist only, developers need a way to help people experience it without an account. Although you can’t like, repost, or reply to a post without being logged in, you can still fully read a post and access all the links within it. Additionally, you can translate the post into another language, copy the text of the post, and copy all links contained in the post.
And there is much more for Bluesky users. There is now a built-in video and music player for the website and app that can play video or audio from services like YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify and Twitch via a link. Just click or tap the More button to watch or listen.
Finally, Bluesky has a new logo, namely a blue butterfly. Why a butterfly? In his message, Graber called it a symbol of change and transformation.
“Early on, we noticed that people were organically using the butterfly emoji to indicate their Bluesky handles,” Graber said. “We loved it and embraced it as it spread. Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, we are starting to open up. Posts on Bluesky have been public from the start thanks to the open protocol, but today we are making them accessible to the public via the application. We are growing little by little and are delighted to accompany you on this journey of metamorphosis! “
