Tapbots Announce Phoenix, Bluesky Client Application For Tweetbot Successor

JAKARTA Fans Tweetbot and Ivory now have reason to get back excited, after developers Tapbots announced their latest project: Phoenix, a client app for social media platform Bluesky.

After Elon Musk took over Twitter, massive changes occurred, including mass dismissal, restructuring, and policies deemed detrimental to users. This caused a drastic drop in user numbers and made Twitter turn into X, which is now struggling to remain relevant amid intense competition.

Although Twitter's fall and its official Mac app are a major blow, it also opens up opportunities for new alternatives. Tapbots, formerly known as Tweetbot, are now ready to release Phoenix as a client app for Bluesky, which is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2025.

Tapbots' small team, which consists of three people, first created Tweetbot in 2011 as one of the third-party Twitter client apps. However, after Musk suddenly banned third-party apps, Tapbots switched to Mastodon by launching Ivory.

At the time, there was no certainty about which platform would replace Twitter. Mastodon was considered the best option, especially because the technology community was quite active in it. However, even though the number of Mastodon accounts has reached 10 million with 1 million active users, this platform remains a more niche community, with the dominance of technology, gamers and other digital culture fans.

Mastodon's main problem is its complexity for casual users, making it difficult to attract users who want a simpler social media experience. On the other hand, other options such as Threads from Meta are not attractive to some users because of company policies that do not support third-party applications.

Bluesky emerged as a potential alternative. This platform was originally a Twitter project initiated by Jack Dorsey, with the aim of creating decentralized social media. Now, even though Dorsey is no longer involved, Bluesky continues to thrive with the ATProtocol protocol that allows users to switch servers easily, so it cannot be monopolized by billionaires or large corporations.

Bluesky's main advantage over Mastodon is its simplicity. Users simply register without the need to choose a specific server, even though there is an option to use private domains for those who want further features. In addition, unique features such as "starter packs" allow users to follow a group of accounts at once, as well as a timeline that remains chronological without a central algorithm, making Bluesky even more attractive.

Since its launch, Bluesky has continued to grow rapidly and managed to reach 30 million users in February 2025. The diversity of users on this platform is increasingly approaching Twitter in its heyday, making it one of the most interesting alternatives to social media today.

In addition, the increasing threat of TikTok blocking and Meta policy, which is considered increasingly permissive to hate speech and misinformation, has increased demand for alternative platforms. Various other ATProtocol-based projects have begun to emerge, such as Flashes, which was developed as an alternative to Instagram and Skylight as a replacement for TikTok.

The increasing popularity of Bluesky prompted Tapbots to launch Phoenix. Although Mastodon is still the main home of Tapbots, many of its users have now switched to Bluesky, so the user ecosystem is divided.

In a question-and-answer session on the Phoenix announcement page, Tapbots stated that the app and Ivory will support the cross-post feature between Mastodon and Bluesky. However, both applications will continue to be developed separately.

There is no information yet about a possible beta trial via TestFlight, but Phoenix is expected to be released in the summer of 2025.

Meanwhile, while X is still being used by many people, including Apple executives and advertisers, the platform is no longer the same as before being taken over by Musk.

With Bluesky growing and Phoenix's presence as a client application from Tapbots, the world of social media seems to be increasingly diverse and competitive in the future.