Social networking startup Bluesky, which reported an increase of 500,000 users in the past day, jumped to the top five apps in the US App Store, moving up from No. 1 in the social networking category. It became the second most popular app. A week ago, the number was 181, according to data from app intelligence company Appfigures. We understand this growth is completely organic, as Appfigures confirmed that the company does not run any App Store search ads.
Moreover, growth is not limited to the US market. Compared to last Wednesday, downloads have increased by four digits in many countries, with Bluesky breaking into the top 10 and at number one in countries such as Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan. Hong Kong ranks second. Canada and South Korea are in fourth place. And Singapore is in 8th place.
Although data on app growth on Google Play lags, early signs suggest it's also growing there. As of 4 a.m. ET, the app has climbed from No. 100 in the Android app store to No. 5 in the social networking category and continues to rise.
Appfigures still can't account for Bluesky's claimed 500,000 new users per day, but its estimates support a significant growth spike. So far, the company has seen 197,000 new installs on the App Store on Thursday, up from just 3.4,000 the day before. The majority (40%, or 80,000) came from the United States, with Japan also contributing with 53,000 (27%) installs, for a total of about 90 countries with a four-digit increase in downloads, Appfigures said on TechCrunch. told.
There may be a combination of factors at play as to what is causing this spike.
In X, users are understandably upset by the company's decision to change the way the blocking feature works. Soon, users with public accounts will no longer be able to see X posts by anyone, including posts they've blocked. Blocked users will no longer be able to engage with these posts, for example, only by liking, replying, or reposting. This poses a safety issue for many using the platform, who have faced harassment and abuse, and for some it was a last resort.
Additionally, X updated its terms of service and privacy policy this week to give it the right to share X user data with third parties, including companies developing AI models.
Additionally, X may still be feeling the effects of a previous Brazilian ban, even though it has been lifted. This ban may have caused some active users in the region to migrate to Bluesky, taking their followers with them.
Additionally, Bluesky may be benefiting from the moderation issues plaguing Threads, where users are banned from their accounts or their posts are downgraded for no reason. (Meta believed that part of the problem was due to internal software used by Threads moderators.)
In any case, X hasn't felt the effects of the changes yet, adding another 17,000 downloads between Tuesday and Thursday. However, the app is no longer in the top 10 of the US App Store, currently sitting at number 29. Appfigures says Elon Musk-owned apps are seeing a gradual downward trend, which is consistent with the news category as a whole. The US App Store is down 8.4% this year.
Bluesky has experienced huge spikes in the past, including when it opened to the public after a long invite-only phase and more recently when Brazil banned of new users to the social networking startup. Prohibition, and much more happened in the days that followed.