Bluesky customers on Android now have entry to a brand new app that works extra like Instagram than X. On Tuesday, an app known as Pinksky launched an Android model of its photo-centric social networking expertise constructed on prime of Bluesky.
The app is now one in all many making an attempt to courtroom former Instagram customers by providing the same person interface to Meta’s app, however one which’s constructed on open expertise. Most of the newcomers on this house, like Pinksky, are constructing on prime of the prevailing social community Bluesky, permitting them to faucet into customers’ social connections and feeds.
Nonetheless, this additionally limits the apps to Bluesky’s personal constraints of as much as 4 photographs per put up and movies of as much as one minute in size.
Pinksky’s app was constructed by developer Ramon Souza, a full-stack developer whose work has largely targeted on working with net applied sciences.
He tells TechCrunch that he was impressed to construct Pinksky having already been drawn to open applied sciences like ActivityPub (the protocol powering Mastodon), and one other open social protocol Nostr. Bluesky, in the meantime, leverages the newer AT Protocol (or atproto), which is presently fostering a wave of experimentation from the indie developer neighborhood.
Nonetheless, whereas Pinksky appears to be like and feels so much like Instagram, Souza believes the apps will attain completely different audiences.
“There are a number of person segments inside Instagram: those that watch lots of reels, those that comply with content material creators, and people who wish to join with mates,” he explains, in response to a query from TechCrunch. “I believe Pinksky matches into the third section — targeted extra on photographs and connections reasonably than viral and repetitive content material.”
In different phrases, it’s extra of a traditional, photo-sharing-focused Instagram expertise.
The app was beforehand obtainable for iOS the place it gives a well-known Instagram-like look, which incorporates person profiles with photographs, a feed of photographs and movies, and a Tales part, the place posts stay seen for less than 24 hours. Customers can have interaction with posts by feedback and liking them, which syncs again to Bluesky’s consumer app, too.
As a result of it’s constructed on prime of Bluesky, customers’ social networks will already be obtainable once they log into the app for the primary time — presuming they’ve a Bluesky account.
For now, the app is simply an experiment, however Souza says that might change if there’s additional curiosity. As an example, he’d contemplate integration with different applied sciences, like Mastodon, Pixelfed, or Nostr, or operating his personal occasion. However as he’s presently protecting the prices of Pinksky, expansions would doubtless have to contain some kind of enterprise mannequin — like paying for premium options.
Pinksky competes with different apps being constructed on this house, together with Flashes, Pixelfed, Reelo, and others.