Bluesky has launched support for group chats, giving users a way to hold private conversations with up to 50 people as the social network adds more community-focused features.
The feature is arriving in the latest version of the app, v1.124, according to TechCrunch. Bluesky previously added direct messages in 2024, and more recently introduced encrypted chats through an integration with the third-party messaging service Germ.
Group Chats Support Up To 50 People
Bluesky’s App Store listing says users can now start a private chat with up to 50 people. Chat creators can generate invite links and share them across the web, including in Bluesky posts where the links appear as embedded cards.
Group chat creators can manage their conversations and decide who is allowed to participate. Bluesky said it may raise the 50-person limit in the future.
Chat participants can choose who is allowed to invite them to group chats. The options are everyone, only people they follow, or no one, with “only people you follow” set as the default unless users have chosen a different direct message setting.
Media Sharing Is Not Available Yet
Bluesky said media sharing in group chats is not supported for now. The company said it will need additional safety and moderation systems before allowing users to share media in group conversations.
The update also adds a new way to share profiles through personalized QR codes. Bluesky’s Google Play listing says users can tap the share button on their profile to generate a QR code that links directly to their account.
Bluesky Plans More Community Tools
The group chat launch follows Bluesky’s stated plan to focus more on communities. Alex Benzer, Bluesky’s head of product, said in recent posts that the app will add smaller spaces where users can connect around shared interests.
Benzer said users will be able to create communities, join them, post in them, and receive updates. He also said the company wants to build community features on the underlying AT Protocol with support from the wider developer ecosystem.
The timing comes after X said in April that it would shut down its Communities feature because of low usage and spam. X recently placed more focus on chats with the launch of a stand-alone XChat app.
Growth And Competition
Bluesky has about 44.8 million registered users, compared with X’s 600 million monthly active users, according to the source article. The new features give Bluesky more ways for users to interact beyond public posting.
Benzer said Bluesky communities will have their own handles that also work as URLs, such as community-name.bsky.social or community-name.bsky.space. He also said communities will be able to be public, invite-only, or private, similar to options used by Facebook Groups and Reddit.
Featured image credits: Heute.at
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