Bluesky now among top 5 downloads on US App Store
Bluesky, the popular social media platform, has seen a massive jump in its user base. The start-up added 500,000 users in just a day. The spike pushed Bluesky to the top five apps on the US App Store and second in the Social Networking category. A week ago, it was sitting at 181st position, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures.
Growth is organic and global
Bluesky's growth has been confirmed as organic by Appfigures, with no App Store Search Ads being utilized. The start-up's expansion is not limited to the US market. Several countries have reported a four-digit increase in downloads over last Wednesday. This has helped Bluesky secure a place in the top 10 apps in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, South Korea, and Singapore.
Bluesky's performance on Google Play
While we are still waiting for data on Bluesky's growth on Google Play, early signs suggest a similar upward trend. At 4:00am EST, the app jumped from No. 100 on the Android app store to No. 5 in the Social Networking category and is still climbing. Appfigures has yet to verify Bluesky's claim of half a million new users in a day but confirms significant growth with 197,000 new installs on the App Store last Thursday alone.
User dissatisfaction with X
The increase in Bluesky's popularity is thought to be fueled by a combination of factors, including user frustration over changes made by X. The latter has modified its block function, making public account posts visible to anyone, including those they've blocked. This change has raised safety concerns among users dealing with harassment and abuse. Further, X updated its Terms of Service and Privacy policy this week, allowing it to share user data with third parties including companies developing AI models.
X's Brazil ban and Threads' moderation issues
Other factors fueling Bluesky's growth include the aftermath of X's temporary ban in Brazil, which saw some active users from that region switch to Bluesky. The start-up could also be benefiting from moderation issues plaguing Threads, where users were banned or their posts downranked without explanation. Despite these challenges, X added 17,000 downloads between Tuesday and Thursday but has fallen out of the US App Store's top 10, now ranking at No. 29.
