Bluesky, a burgeoning social networking platform, has experienced a significant surge in popularity, reporting a remarkable increase of 500,000 users in a day. This explosive growth has propelled it into the top rankings of the U.S. App Store, where it now sits as the second most popular app in the Social Networking category, a dramatic rise from its previous position at 181 just a week ago, as per data from Appfigures, an app intelligence firm.
The surge in users is characterised by its organic nature, with Bluesky reportedly not engaging in any marketing activities, such as App Store Search Ads, to facilitate this growth. Its rising popularity is not confined to the United States. The app's global appeal is evident as it climbs into the top charts of several countries, including securing the top spot in Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan. In Hong Kong, it ranks second; it is fourth in both Canada and South Korea, and eighth in Singapore.
While data from the Google Play Store is pending, preliminary insights suggest that Bluesky is gaining traction there as well. Early morning records show the app rising rapidly from 100th to 5th place in the Social Networking category among Android users.
Appfigures has captured a notable increase in installations, documenting 197,000 new installs on the App Store on Thursday alone, a sharp rise from 3,400 the previous day. A significant portion of this growth originates from the U.S., which accounts for 40% of new installs, while Japan contributes 27%, along with substantial growth across approximately 90 other nations.
The reasons driving this impressive rise are manifold. One potential factor is user dissatisfaction with the social media platform X, following its controversial decision to modify its block function. The update allows users of public accounts to have their posts viewed by anyone, including individuals they have blocked, though engagement (like liking or commenting) from blocked users remains limited. This change has raised safety concerns among users who have experienced harassment or abuse online, pushing some to seek alternative platforms.
Further compounding user concerns with X is a recent update to its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, allowing the platform to share user data with third parties, including those developing artificial intelligence models.
Bluesky might also be benefiting from recent policy challenges faced by Threads, a platform by Meta. Users have encountered issues with moderation, resulting in unexpected bans and the downranking of posts, which Meta has attributed partially to internal moderation software issues.
Despite the significant transitions of some users to Bluesky, X is yet to experience a major decline, with the app still attracting 17,000 downloads between Tuesday and Thursday. However, it has dropped from its previous top 10 position in the U.S. App Store, currently ranking at 29. Appfigures notes a mild but consistent downward trend in downloads for X, paralleling a broader 8.4% decline in the news category across the U.S. App Store this year.
Bluesky has witnessed substantial user influxes in the past, such as when it transitioned from an invite-only format to public access, and significantly, during the temporary ban of X in Brazil, which initially spurred an additional half a million users to join Bluesky within the first two days of the ban.
Source: Noah Wire Services