Bluesky has added a new hidden setting so that posts no longer accidentally appear in the air. Discover algorithm recommendations
Bluesky has added an option in the privacy settings to prevent all posts from the account from being recommended into the Discover feed visible to non-followers, but it cannot make the account completely private, nor does it guarantee that it will not appear in other algorithmic services.
A post on Bluesky was suddenly forwarded and commented on by a large number of unfamiliar accounts, and it was often jokingly called the "main character" of the day by users. Most of this accidental exposure comes from the platform’s algorithm recommendation mechanism, and Bluesky now gives users an option to turn off this mechanism.
According to Bluesky's official statement, the new feature has been launched in the privacy settings in the app, and users can check "ask apps to hide my posts from algorithmic recommendations". This is an overall switch at the account level, not a filter for individual posts - once enabled, all posts under the account will be excluded from the Discover feed's recommendations for non-followers.
But this does not mean that the account becomes private. Bluesky currently does not provide a private account option like X. Even if this setting is turned on, posts may still appear in other algorithm-curated feeds or third-party services based on AT Protocol. In other words, this switch solves the situation of "being actively pushed to strangers by Discover", rather than completely disappearing the content from public view.
Discover is still one of the main portals for users on Bluesky to discover the content of untracked accounts. The official also admitted in the description that this kind of exposure occasionally brings consequences that users did not expect - a casual statement is widely reposted after being taken out of context, which is a common anxiety among many social platform users. This setting gives users who care about this a concrete control tool.
Bluesky said that this adjustment is just "one of several updates we are making" to give users more control over their experience on the platform and help users find their own communities. It is unclear whether more detailed single-post level controls or further privacy features will be launched in the future.
