Bluesky, Jack Dorsey’s Twitter Alternative, Enters Closed Beta Phase

Jack Dorsey’s alternative to Twitter, Bluesky, has entered the closed beta phase and is now available on the App Store, according to reports. The app, which is currently invite-only, could potentially compete with several other Twitter alternatives, including Mastodon.

Those interested in joining the waitlist can submit their email addresses. Bluesky’s interface is said to resemble Twitter’s, with minor differences such as “What’s up?” instead of “What’s happening?” and a simpler process for creating a post with the plus button that can also include photos. Users can also follow and search for other users and view their posts on a Home timeline.

Bluesky was initially started as a Twitter-funded side project in 2019, with Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, believing it would be a more open alternative to the increasingly centralized Twitter. The project spun off as its own company in 2021, with Dorsey expressing the belief that social media should be free from corporate or government control and that only authors should be able to remove their content. While he supported Twitter’s decision to ban Donald Trump, he expressed concern about the precedent it set for limiting the free and open global internet.

It remains to be seen whether Twitter users will flock to Bluesky or other platforms in significant numbers. Still, given the current CEO/owner Elon Musk’s controversial embrace of far-right figures and ideology, it may be unlikely to expect users to turn to someone who holds reservations about banning anyone for any reason.