Web Experts

A new photo-sharing app called is coming to Bluesky, marking an interesting development in decentralized social media. Built by Berlin-based developer Sebastian Vogelsang, who previously created the Bluesky client Skeets, Flashes aims to provide a photo-focused experience while leveraging Bluesky's AT Protocol.

The app will support up to four images per post and one-minute videos, syncing seamlessly with Bluesky's main platform. Any posts made through Flashes will appear on Bluesky, and comments will sync between the platforms. What makes this interesting is how it demonstrates the potential of decentralized social networks - using a single social graph to power different specialized apps.

Flashes works by filtering Bluesky's timeline for photo and video content, essentially creating a more visual-focused experience. The developer plans to add metadata features to help manage how these posts appear in the main Bluesky feed.

While the app draws obvious comparisons to Instagram, Vogelsang emphasizes that it's not meant to be a clone. Instead, it aims to provide an entry point for users who might not see themselves as "Twitter people" but are interested in visual content sharing.

Given that has now grown to over 27.5 million users, Flashes could tap into growing interest in alternatives to traditional social media platforms. The app is expected to launch in the coming weeks, with a TestFlight beta arriving first.

What we find particularly interesting is how this represents a broader trend of users seeking alternatives to mainstream social platforms, especially with the backdrop of recent developments in social media landscape.