Bluesky users now have the ability to share longer videos and help keep their inbox organized.

      Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

      Bluesky is clearly experiencing a significant moment for feature updates this year. Just days after introducing an Instagram-like feature with the Flashes app, the Bluesky mobile application has now received several major enhancements in multimedia and messaging.

      With the v1.99 update, the social media platform now allows users to upload videos lasting up to three minutes, an increase from the previous 60-second limit for video posts. In comparison, Instagram Reels permits videos of up to three minutes, although it allowed for a maximum of 90 seconds for uploads as recently as January of this year. Meanwhile, TikTok enables users to create and share videos that can run for up to 10 minutes.

      Bluesky is currently testing a Trending video feed as part of a beta program, making it logical for the platform to raise the video upload limit. Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, recently stated that creators have requested a longer limit, as 90 seconds may not always suffice to convey a story.

      Additionally, a significant new feature is the introduction of a dedicated “Chat Requests” inbox within the messaging section. Moving forward, if users receive messages from accounts they do not follow or have a mutual connection with, those messages will be directed to this chat request section.

      Users can choose to either accept or decline such message requests at their convenience, a concept reminiscent of X’s approach to direct messages from unknown accounts, which helps prevent spammers from cluttering the messaging section.

      Furthermore, muting accounts has become more straightforward. Users can now find a “Mute account” option above the block and report features by tapping the three-dot menu button next to each post in the main feed.

      Bluesky also offers protections against spammy content in users' feeds and provides alerts for impersonator accounts. Regarding these latest features, the v1.99 update started rolling out on March 7, according to Google Play logs, and is now widely accessible to Bluesky users.

      Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who became interested in innovative smartphone technology out of curiosity and soon began…

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