Surf is the new Flipboard app for browsing the Open Social Web and expands support for Bluesky's social networks. On Monday, the company announced a new version of its beta software (known as “Blue Wave”). This will allow users to log in to the app using their BlueSky credentials and see all the BlueSky feeds, including the next feed, discovery feed, and custom feeds pinned to the BlueSky app.
The new integration also allows users to access other Bluesky sources when building their own custom feeds. This is a list of recommended followers to build to help new users find connections, like the Bluesky starter pack. Other Bluesky sources, such as lists and custom feeds, are also available as sources.
Once added, Surf will be replaced by using the Bluesky app itself. This will also be displayed in Surf, as likes and replies from users of the Bluesky app can also interact with posts from the Bluesky network.
Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, Surf, offers “seamless access” to anyone posting on Bluesky, Mastodon or Threads.
“It's about the social web coming back to life and integrating the social web,” he says.
Image credits: Flipboard
Additionally, he sees apps like SURF as a great alternative to centralized social media, filling with AI-generated content.
“AI overruns are just brutal,” he says. “This is why I think RSS is so important because it gives you access to all the best YouTube content, podcasts and newsletters from REAL People. By being explicit about the sources you choose and looking at the people you trust and the sources they recommend, it's the power of human connection that helps remove all AI slops,” McCue points out.
Another new beta feature is the setup wizard that guides you through the process of creating your own custom home feed in surfing.
Here you can combine Mastodon and Bluesky feeds to design your own universal timeline, including other custom feeds such as Bluesky's “Popular Friends” and “Discovery”.
The setup wizard also lets you exclude content you don't want to see in these feeds, like politics. If you prefer a fugitive feed, there is also a toggle switch to hide posts about Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Screenshot Image Credit: Surf/Flip Board
“A lot of people I personally talk about… I use BlueSky to get away from the news. And I don't want to read about Elon. I don't want to hear politics,” explains McQueu.
What Surf is already shining is its ability to help build a unique topic feed that combines posts from other open protocols such as open social networks and RSS. The latter allows you to add sources such as news websites, blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, and more to your custom feed.
For example, “High-tech builders and thinkers,” one of McCue's feeds, includes individuals whose accounts are on Mastodon, Bluesky and YouTube.
The idea is to follow the people and topics you are interested in without limiting yourself to a single platform.
For now, all feeds are published by default, allowing users to follow feeds built by others. However, over time, McCue says that your feed will become private, so you can choose what you want to share more widely.
You can also fine-tune the design and layout of the feed you are building, set the cover image and background color, and select the default tab.
You can use feeds that look like Twitter/X Timeline by setting them in the Discussion view. Alternatively, if you want to focus on an image, audio, video, or article, you can select other views such as “Look”, “List”, “Watch”, or “Read” respectively.
Image credits: Flipboard
Today, many developers are building apps like Tiktok for Bluesky or apps like Instagram. With surfing, you can get the same results without the need for another app.
The Surf Blue Wave Beta Update was first demonstrated at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, and will be deployed to existing testers. The company will also introduce a new wave of beta testers with this release. Surf will later terminate Apple's TestFlight testing platform, allowing apps to reach beyond the 10,000 testers limit Apple imposed.
The company is also currently working on bringing iOS-only surf apps to the web.