TikTok’s potential U.S. ban has sparked a flurry of improvement throughout the open social net neighborhood. A number of new functions are being constructed that would at some point function a TikTok alternative for many who favor the open supply, decentralized social community Bluesky and the know-how that powers it, the AT Protocol.
Although the TikTok ban is at the moment on pause after President Trump gave father or mother firm ByteDance a 75-day extension to barter a deal, the truth that the federal government was in a position to take down TikTok within the first place has customers nervous about its future. In the meantime, creators and small companies are burdened over how the lack of TikTok might have an effect on their revenue.
Constructing a “TikTok for Bluesky”
One resolution rising to deal with the issue is Bluesky, a decentralized, open supply social community the place you’ll be able to select your individual server and algorithm and alter your moderation controls to your individual wants. Plus, for those who ever resolve to vary servers, you’ll be able to transfer your account simply with out shedding your username, mates, or posts. You possibly can even “run your individual Bluesky” by setting up a personal data server or relay.
Designed for a future net, Bluesky permits folks to take again management over their private knowledge and social exercise from Massive Tech — an effort additionally supported by the open social ecosystem referred to as the fediverse, which runs on a unique protocol and contains apps like Mastodon and others.
There at the moment are a number of new tasks underway to convey a video expertise to Bluesky, whether or not that’s as a video-first Bluesky consumer or as a completely new app constructed on the identical AT Protocol that Bluesky makes use of.
Beneath are just a few of the video apps in varied phases of improvement which might be centered on catering to Bluesky customers.
Bluescreen
Constructed by Berlin developer Sebastian Vogelsang, who beforehand launched the Bluesky consumer app Skeets, Bluescreen is an upcoming app that can give attention to movies posted to the Bluesky social community. Much like his Instagram various Flashes, which can be within the works, Bluescreen is being constructed rapidly because of Vogelsang’s means to reuse among the similar code from Skeets.
Like Flashes, Bluescreen would supply a video-first Bluesky expertise, because it filters your present Bluesky feeds and lists for video content material, whereas additionally permitting uploads. As a result of it’s constructed on Bluesky’s community, your movies may also seem in your profile on the official Bluesky app, and other people’s feedback and different engagement with these movies will present up within the Bluescreen app.
Vogelsang constructed his first prototype of Bluesky in just below two hours, he says, and has since been posting sneak peeks of the app on the Bluescreen account on Bluesky because it’s additional refined.
The app contains a set of interplay buttons just like what TikTok has, together with Likes, Feedback, Saves/Bookmarks, and extra.
Reelo
Reelo represents a bigger effort at constructing a TikTok-like app that appeals to Bluesky customers, however in contrast to different efforts, it’s not only a layer or filter on prime of Bluesky’s current social community. As an alternative, Reelo is creating its personal stand-alone app on the AT Protocol. Meaning Reelo will profit from the identical kind of transparency and management over your knowledge as on Bluesky, however will probably be freed from the restrictions of constructing on prime of Bluesky instantly.
This permits Reelo to assist extra options, together with longer movies of as much as three minutes, particular results, a music and sounds library, and later, livestreaming. Customers will have the ability to instantly submit their video content material on the app. As the corporate explains in a submit on Bluesky, this makes for a “richer, extra tailor-made video expertise” in contrast with different apps constructed on Bluesky, like rival Skylight, for instance.
Nonetheless, constructing its personal app on AT Protocol as an alternative of making an app that’s only a layer on Bluesky itself means an extended improvement timeline. Reelo expects to have the entrance finish and again finish accomplished by the tip of February with a launch on March 20, after an preliminary testing interval.
Like a lot of the apps in improvement, Reelo additionally appears rather a lot like TikTok, with a vertical video feed and methods to love, remark, and share on the right-hand aspect of the display screen.
Skylight
The workforce behind Skylight has been working to construct a TikTok various after Mark Cuban stated he was concerned about backing potential startups on this area.
The workforce behind the app contains Seattle-based co-founders Victoria (“Tori”) White, who has a background in building customized web sites and apps, and React developer Reed Harmeyer. The founders are advertising Skylight as an “AT Protocol TikTok,” which is technically appropriate as a result of Bluesky itself runs on AT Protocol.
Nonetheless, by constructing Skylight as a layer on prime of the prevailing Bluesky platform, the app runs into limitations.
Bluesky’s social community limits movies to as much as 60 seconds in size and 50MB in dimension. In different phrases, if Skylight needs so as to add assist for longer movies or different options, it might want to attend for Bluesky to vary its personal pointers or develop its personal devoted app constructed on AT Protocol. (Skylight’s founders declined an interview, so it’s not clear what their long-term roadmap appears like.)
Skylight does have a bonus of types, as its video-focused app is already in beta testing on iOS and Android, permitting early adopters to strive it out forward of its public launch.
App options embody likes, follows, feedback, and profile pages. Video uploads are nonetheless within the works.
Movies for Bluesky
Lately launched on the App Retailer, the generically named Videos for Bluesky is one other app constructed on prime of Bluesky itself. This new app comes courtesy of “MszPro,” aka Hoshida Takiyoshi, an indie Japanese developer.
Takiyoshi has all the time beloved experimenting, having constructed round 60 apps thus far, together with the SoraSNS app providing mixed entry to decentralized networks Mastodon, Bluesky, Misskey, and Firefish.
Like among the others, Movies for Bluesky permits you to browse movies posted to the Bluesky social community by vertically scrolling in a TikTok-like consumer interface with acquainted Like, Repost, and Reply buttons.
The app additionally options consumer profiles, built-in search, observe buttons, and its personal native “For You” timeline that includes trending movies in addition to methods to view different movies from folks you observe or any customized feeds. As well as, the app is designed with an algorithm that can study your pursuits over time, the developer says.
Its latest updates have added assist for different options like notifications and a brand new submit composer centered on video uploads, amongst different issues.
With a one-time “Professional” unlock in-app buy, customers can entry submit evaluation data and watch movies from a customized timeline.
Quickly, it should add NSFW filtering, a video recorder, type filters, downloads, bookmarks, and extra.
The Videos for Bluesky app is iOS-only, but when there’s sufficient consumer demand, the developer will take into account constructing an Android model.
“Bluesky remains to be a comparatively new platform, however its well-documented protocol makes it straightforward for indie builders like myself to combine new options,” Hoshida notes. “In contrast to centralized social media, Bluesky’s API doesn’t require app makers to register for a developer account, which helps extra folks bounce in and begin constructing instantly. And naturally, since it’s open supply, builders can simply look into the code to see the best way to work together with varied API options.”
Later, the developer plans to work on different social apps, together with one for Bluesky centered on photographs and a information reader for the fediverse.
Flipboard’s Surf
Whereas Flipboard’s latest app Surf is greater than only a video aggregator, the app not too long ago added a video feed of its personal after Bluesky added its customized video feed.
Surf initially centered on video posts from Bluesky’s trending video feed and others that included the hashtag #SkyTok,” however it goals to quickly personalize the feed to the tip consumer in future developments. The latter would differentiate it from Bluesky’s video feed and make it extra attention-grabbing to every particular person consumer.
Bluesky’s video feed is accessible within the Surf app, the place folks may construct their very own customized feeds to trace all types of posts throughout the open social net, together with Bluesky, Mastodon, RSS, and extra.
Surf remains to be in non-public beta testing, however a signup list is accessible for people who find themselves .
BlueSky Reels
BlueSky Reels (its website isn’t but stay) is one other undertaking that sees the potential for a TikTok alternative out there. Developed by Craig Merry, the consumer will assist video solely, in addition to fundamental consumer interactions. Over time, assist for different private knowledge servers in addition to Bluesky’s personal could possibly be included.
The app’s content material comes from Bluesky itself, although the aim is so as to add extra options that Bluesky doesn’t have.
“My most important aim is to construct a straightforward approach for folks to create curated feeds — with content material that may be moderated instantly — very similar to moderation in Reddit,” Merry explains.
The app is quickly launching in beta on iOS, Android, and the online.