Social networking platform Bluesky has crossed 40 million users, marking a major milestone for the decentralized social media service. Alongside the growth, the company has announced that it will soon introduce a new “dislikes” beta feature to improve personalization and control over what users see in their feeds.
The new feature is designed to let users signal which posts they want to see less of. Instead of acting as a public negative reaction button, “dislikes” will quietly influence the platform’s recommendations, reply visibility, and overall conversation ranking. Bluesky says the aim is to improve the quality of interactions and make the platform feel “more fun, genuine, and respectful.”
The announcement comes at a time when conversations around moderation have become increasingly important on decentralized platforms. Many users have raised concerns about how to balance openness with safety and meaningful engagement.
Bluesky continues to prioritize user-controlled moderation instead of a centralized approach. Current tools allow users to create and subscribe to moderation lists, customize content filters, mute words, use external moderation services, and detach quote posts to avoid unnecessary attention.
In addition to the “dislikes” feature, Bluesky is testing systems to improve conversation flow. One major update in progress is the introduction of “social neighborhoods,” which groups users based on who they interact with most. Replies from people closer to your “neighborhood” will appear more prominently, making discussions feel more relevant and easier to follow.
The platform is also working to detect and reduce toxic or spammy replies across threads and notifications. Another interface tweak adjusts how replies work: tapping the reply button will now open the full thread first, encouraging users to engage with context before commenting.
Reply control settings will also become easier to access, allowing users to manage who can respond to their posts from the main post screen.
With continued growth and new features, Bluesky appears to be positioning itself as a more user-focused alternative to platforms like X and Threads, offering more control, more relevance, and a less chaotic social experience.
