Bluesky has launched support for group chats, adding another feature aimed at strengthening user interaction and competing more directly with rival platform X.
The feature is included in version 1.124 of the app and marks one of the first steps in Bluesky’s broader strategy to emphasize communities over large-scale public broadcasting.
Group chats support up to 50 users
Bluesky said users can now create group conversations with up to 50 participants.
The company added that the limit could be increased in the future.
Group chat creators can:
- Decide who can participate.
- Manage membership.
- Generate invite links.
- Share those links across the web or in Bluesky posts.
Invite links appear as embedded cards inside posts.
Users can control invitations
Participants can choose who is allowed to add them to group chats.
Available options include:
- Everyone.
- People they follow.
- No one.
By default, the setting is limited to people a user follows unless they have selected different preferences for direct messages.
Media sharing not available yet
Bluesky said support for sharing images and other media inside group chats has not been added.
According to the company, additional safety and moderation systems are required before those capabilities can be introduced.
Shift toward communities
The launch comes as Bluesky changes its approach to user engagement.
In recent posts, Alex Benzer, the company’s head of product, said the platform wants to create smaller spaces where users can connect around shared interests.
“Today, Bluesky is one big space. Communities will be smaller spaces inside that where you can go deeper and hang out with people who care about the same stuff,” Benzer wrote.
He added that community features would be built on AT Protocol with support from external developers.
Dedicated communities planned
Benzer said users will eventually be able to:
- Create communities.
- Join communities.
- Post within them.
- Receive updates.
Communities will have their own handles and web addresses, such as:
- community-name.bsky.social
- community-name.bsky.space
They will also offer different privacy settings, including:
- Public.
- Invite-only.
- Private.
The structure resembles features available on Facebook Groups and Reddit.
Growth slows
Bluesky currently has around 44.8 million registered users.
That compares with X’s 600 million monthly active users.
As growth moderates, the company is seeking alternative ways to attract and retain users by emphasizing smaller communities and greater control over the user experience.
Timing follows changes at X
Bluesky’s push into communities comes after X announced in April that it would shut down its Communities feature, citing low usage and spam issues.
Meanwhile, X has expanded its messaging efforts and recently launched a standalone XChat app.
Bluesky first introduced direct messaging in 2024 and later added encrypted conversations through integration with third-party messaging platform Germ.
QR codes added
The latest version of Bluesky also introduces personalized QR codes that allow users to share their profiles more easily.
TL;DR
Bluesky has launched group chats for up to 50 users and is expanding its focus on communities. The company plans to introduce dedicated interest-based spaces as it seeks to differentiate itself from larger rivals such as X.
AI summary
- Bluesky now supports group chats with up to 50 participants.
- Users can control who is allowed to invite them.
- Media sharing in group chats is not yet available.
- The company plans to launch dedicated communities.
- Bluesky currently has 44.8 million registered users.
