Bluesky launches Flashes, an alternative to Instagram

The official launch of  Flashes on the increasingly popular new social network Bluesky will take place in the coming weeks. Designed by independent Berlin developer Sebastian Vogelsang, Flashes offers a decentralized approach to photo sharing, providing an alternative to Instagram and other Meta-related apps.

Flashes will not offer all the same features as Instagram. For instance, to avoid content overload, user posts can contain up to four photos and videos of a maximum of one minute. Although the platform is free, a paid version is available, offering advanced features such as bookmarks, drafts, more detailed filtering options, and enhanced notifications.

Like Bluesky, Flashes operates with the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT), an encryption system that ensures data privacy by preventing third-party reading or modification. The application thus has the potential to meet the growing demand from internet users seeking alternatives to the social networks of web giants, often criticized for their toxicity, lack of security, or advertising overload.

Bluesky is often compared to X (formerly Twitter) due to its appearance and features. Thus, according to Sebastian Vogelsang, Flashes could attract new users who have not yet joined the platform because they have never considered themselves fans of X.