Don Jazzy Just Launched a Life-Changing Opportunity for Nigerians - Here's How to Get Yours!

Bluesky Introduces Chat Reactions and a Trendy Explore Page to Woo Ex-X Users

In a move to further establish itself as a serious contender in the social media landscape, Bluesky has rolled out an exciting new update that’s already drawing attention from users nostalgic for some of the now-missing features of the former Twitter (now X). 

The decentralized social platform has just added emoji reactions in direct messages and launched a revamped Explore page—two features that promise to boost engagement and discovery on the app.

While many users continue to plead for an edit button, Bluesky is making strategic updates to improve the user experience in other ways. The newly added chat reactions allow users to express themselves with emojis, directly responding to messages with a simple tap. 

Users will first see common options like the heart, thumbs up, laughing face, and sad face. But if those aren't expressive enough, they can access a full emoji library via the three-dot menu—mimicking a popular feature that X introduced years ago.

This feature may seem minor, but it can go a long way in making conversations feel more expressive and dynamic. Just like on X, it helps lighten up serious conversations or add humor to casual ones. It's a smart step towards making Bluesky feel more familiar to users transitioning from Elon Musk’s X, where similar options were loved by many.

Perhaps even more impactful is the debut of the Explore page, which replaces the old Search tab. This is a major overhaul. Instead of a simple search function, users are now greeted with real-time trending topics, suggested accounts, and a feature that feels similar to Starter Packs—curated lists of accounts that new users can follow to jumpstart their experience.

The Explore page is personalized based on user interests. Whether you're into politics, video games, art, science, or sports, Bluesky now makes it easier to dive into communities and conversations that align with your passions. The trending section also includes helpful labels like “New,” “Hot,” and time stamps such as “5h ago” to help users see what's gaining traction in real time.

Some examples of today’s top trends on Bluesky include discussions around former President Trump’s proposed tariffs and growing niche communities like BookSky, a haven for avid readers. This signals that Bluesky is not just catching up to its competitors—it’s building a culture of its own.

CTO Paul Frazee gave a shoutout to Darrin Loeliger, the company’s newly hired designer, for the clean and modern design of the Explore page, emphasizing how a fresh creative perspective can make a big difference in product development.

With over 34 million users now on the platform, Bluesky’s community is quickly growing from a niche experiment to a formidable alternative in the social media world. These new features are likely to attract users who feel left out by recent changes on X, while also retaining the loyal base already forming on Bluesky.

If you’ve been hesitant to join Bluesky, this latest update might just be the push you need. Between improved messaging, easier discovery, and more personalized content, the platform is shaping up to be more than just a “Twitter clone”—it’s becoming a destination.

#BlueskyUpdate #SocialMediaNews #XAlternative #TechNews #ExplorePage #EmojiReactions #DMFeatures #TrendingTopics #DecentralizedSocial #ChatReactions