Robotic Automations

Graysky, one of the first third-party apps for the Twitter/X competitor Bluesky, is launching a subscription service with its latest release, as a means of generating revenue for its app by offering paid access to features that Bluesky itself doesn’t yet support. In the initial release, users will be able to personalize the app with a theme of their choosing and translate posts using DeepL instead of Google Translate. Additional pro-level features coming soon include custom app icons, support for polls and post analytics, that will track your likes, posts and other engagement metrics. Meanwhile, the app’s broader update for all users brings several new features, including Trending Topics, to see what’s popular on Bluesky right now.

While many developers are toying with the Bluesky API to build services that extend the capabilities of Bluesky’s platform, Graysky made waves for being the first cross-platform third-party app that reached consumers directly on both iOS and Android. (An Android app called Seiun was available before Graysky, but was not available for iPhone users.)

Launched in October, Graysky’s biggest differentiator is that it drops you into an interface where you can pick which feed you want to browse first, instead of a default Home timeline. On Bluesky, users can choose from multiple, custom feeds — a sort of algorithmic choice that other microblogging platforms like Instagram Threads and X don’t have.

In addition, Graysky introduced a searchable interface for finding users, posts or feeds, as well as a way for seeing everyone’s likes, not just your own, also similar to Twitter/X. The app’s development has been rushing ahead of the official Bluesky app by adding support for things Bluesky lacked, like GIFs, and said it planned to add other Twitter-like features such as drafts, bookmarks, muted words, polls, lists and more in later releases.

Image Credits: Graysky

Some of these features are now arriving with the Pro subscription, like support for polls, while the app update brings a number of new features to all users, both free and paid.

This includes a newly rebuilt post composer screen that’s faster and lets you select the post language; a “Trending Topics” section to see what’s popular on Bluesky right now; support for Quick Actions like compose, search or open settings; support for opening links in Graysky directly from Safari on iOS; improved user suggestions; support for a “joined date” on user profiles; the ability to rotate Graysky on Android tablets; new pull-to-refresh animations; and other performance improvements.

Of these, the “Trending Topics” section — available from the app’s search tab — is the biggest highlight as it makes the world of Bluesky feel more like Twitter/X. (It also reflects the community that has sprung up there, as tags like #furry and #nsfw are among the trending topics at this time.)

Since launch, Graysky’s downloads have crossed 20,000, the startup tells TechCrunch, with 13,700 on iOS and 6,500 on Android.

Graysky Pro is an optional subscription that supports the app’s continued development and includes additional features. It’s available for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.