Flashes, a competitor to Instagram developed on the Bluesky platform, has been launched to the public.

      Bluesky, the emerging social media platform intending to rival X, has launched its own version of Instagram, called Flashes. The app, first unveiled in January, seeks to revive the classic photo-sharing experience reminiscent of Instagram's earlier days and is now available on the App Store.

      Created by independent developer Sebastian Vogelsang, Flashes utilizes the same AT Protocol as Bluesky. Vogelsang is also the developer behind Skeets, a third-party client for Bluesky designed for iPhone, iPad, and macOS.

      The primary advantage of the AT Protocol is its open ecosystem, which avoids a platform lock-in approach. This facilitates decentralized social networking, allowing content shared on Flashes to be easily transferred to other platforms that use the same protocol.

      Flashes operates on a similar concept as Fediverse, which is based on another protocol called ActivityPub. Meta has implemented this for Threads, meaning users can view and respond to content from various social platforms, such as Mastodon, on Threads.

      Flashes enables users to share up to four images in a single post or videos lasting up to one minute. It includes an optional portfolio mode that allows users to control which content appears on their social profile's home page.

      Regarding profiles, users can display their media, likes, feeds, and curated lists. There’s the option to save several feeds for later viewing. At the top, there are four customizable tabs.

      A standout feature of the app is its feed system, which allows users to follow pages of their choice without any algorithmic influence, unlike Instagram. This means users will only see content they want to engage with, rather than an algorithm suggesting items based on their activity history. Research indicates that Instagram’s feed can foster addictive usage patterns due to its incessant stream of content designed to keep users engaged.

      Currently, Flashes offers over 50,000 feeds to choose from, along with the option to pin preferred feeds. The app also includes various creative filters and the ability to download RAW photos from a profile.

      All content shared on Flashes is fully compatible with Bluesky, meaning that what users post can reach the Bluesky audience, expanding their content’s visibility to approximately 30 million users.