Bluesky, one of the more successful alternatives to Elon Musk’s X, has just added a brand new feature that sets it apart from other social media platforms.
On Thursday, the official Bluesky account on the platform announced that an opt-out option has just gone live that prevents a user’s post from being included in algorithmic recommendations.
“Now you can opt out of having your posts shown to non-followers in the Discover feed,” Bluesky said. “We know not everyone wants to go viral. Sometimes you’re just posting for your followers. This is one of a few updates we’re working on to give you more control over your experience and help you find your people.”
When turned on, a user’s posts notably stay public. Everyone will continue to see the account. It does not turn the account private. Instead, the algorithm just doesn’t recommend the account’s posts on the platform’s main feed, Discover, to other users who don’t follow the account.
Technically, a post can still go viral. Another user can screenshot a post and share it far and wide. But, toggling the opt-out feature on will certainly make it a lot harder.
How to turn on the Bluesky opt-out feature
To turn the opt-out feature on, go to the Bluesky app’s Privacy and Security settings and turn the toggle on for “Ask apps to hide my posts from algorithmic recommendations.” According to Bluesky, it can take up to one hour for the opt-out to take effect across the platform.
As TechCrunch notes, the setting is recorded at the account level. This means that other apps that use Bluesky’s AT Proto protocol can utilize the feature if the third-party app maker so chooses
In order to set itself apart from competitors, Bluesky has been adding a slew of hyper-customization features that provide users with more control over their accounts. Earlier this year, the company rolled out a new feature that gave users more custom feed options.
Just this week, Bluesky also rolled out new video limits that allow users to upload longer videos that are up to 10-minutes long.
