In an era where Instagram has become increasingly integrated into Meta’s ecosystem, with algorithms dictating the content users see and less emphasis on authentic sharing, many are searching for an alternative that brings back the simple experience of sharing photos and videos. This is where Flashes comes in—a new app launched on February 24, based on Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform designed to create a more open and flexible alternative to existing social networks. Bluesky is built on the AT Protocol, which allows users to control how they consume content and personalize it instead of being subject to algorithms that dictate what they see.

So how does it work? When you open Flashes, you can sign in with an existing Bluesky account or create a new one specifically for the app. If you’re already using Bluesky, the app simply re-displays all the photo and video posts from the people you follow—but in an interface that looks and feels like Instagram. In the other direction, anything you upload to Flashes will also appear in the regular Bluesky feed. There’s no aggressive recommendation system or algorithm making decisions for you—you choose how to display your feed.

A new app based on Bluesky (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
A new app based on Bluesky (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
The app includes several main tabs: a homepage with personal feeds, a search tab for finding posts and trending topics, a creation tab for uploading new photos and videos, a notifications tab that consolidates all alerts from Bluesky, and a profile tab for managing your account. There are also a few basic filters for editing photos, but don’t expect anything on Instagram’s level—the idea here is more about sharing than polishing.

Of course, it’s not perfect. One major drawback is notifications—if you use both Bluesky and Flashes, you’ll start receiving the same notifications twice, which can be annoying. Additionally, if you decide to delete your account on either Bluesky or Flashes, it will be deleted from both apps simultaneously—there is no full separation between them.

Bluesky itself is a rapidly growing platform. In November 2024, it surpassed 20 million users, and by January 2025, it had already reached over 30 million. The fact that every Bluesky user is potentially also a Flashes user could help the new app quickly gain an audience.