Bluesky users on Android now have access to a new app that works more like Instagram than X. On Tuesday, an app called Pinksky launched an Android version of its photo-centric social networking experience built on top of Bluesky.
The app is now one of many attempting to court former Instagram users by offering a similar user interface to Meta’s app, but one that’s built on open technology. Many of the newcomers in this space, like Pinksky, are building on top of the existing social network Bluesky, allowing them to tap into users’ social connections and feeds.
However, this also limits the apps to Bluesky’s own constraints of up to four photos per post and videos of up to one minute in length.
Pinksky’s app was built by developer Ramon Souza, a full-stack developer whose work has largely focused on working with web technologies.
He tells TechCrunch that he was inspired to build Pinksky having already been drawn to open technologies like ActivityPub (the protocol powering Mastodon), and another open social protocol Nostr. Bluesky, meanwhile, leverages the newer AT Protocol (or atproto), which is currently fostering a wave of experimentation from the indie developer community.
However, while Pinksky looks and feels a lot like Instagram, Souza believes the apps will reach different audiences.
“There are several user segments within Instagram: those who watch a lot of reels, those who follow content creators, and those who want to connect with friends,” he explains, in response to a question from TechCrunch. “I think Pinksky fits into the third segment — focused more on photos and connections rather than viral and repetitive content.”
In other words, it’s more of a classic, photo-sharing-focused Instagram experience.
The app was previously available for iOS where it offers a familiar Instagram-like look, which includes user profiles with photos, a feed of photos and videos, and a Stories section, where posts remain visible for only 24 hours. Users can engage with posts by comments and liking them, which syncs back to Bluesky’s client app, too.
Because it’s built on top of Bluesky, users’ social networks will already be available when they log into the app for the first time — presuming they have a Bluesky account.
For now, the app is just an experiment, but Souza says that could change if there’s further interest. For instance, he’d consider integration with other technologies, like Mastodon, Pixelfed, or Nostr, or running his own instance. But as he’s currently covering the costs of Pinksky, expansions would likely need to involve some sort of business model — like paying for premium features.
Pinksky competes with other apps being built in this space, including Flashes, Pixelfed, Reelo, and others.
