On Monday, social networking startup Bluesky, a competitor to X, introduced an update to its app, incorporating the newly added “followers only” option for limiting post replies, as well as a “search posts” feature for user profiles, as announced earlier, and the recently promised feature.

The “followers only” feature serves as a differentiator for Bluesky from competitors like X and Meta’s Threads, while the search functionality bears resemblance to a feature X (previously known as Twitter) had introduced in 2021.

The new “followers only” option is a valuable addition for Bluesky users, enabling them to restrict conversations to their chosen connections.

This setting is especially useful when content goes viral, attracting attention beyond the usual follower base, which can lead to “content collapse” – a scenario where individuals who don’t understand the original post’s context start contributing, cluttering replies and piling on, a common issue on Twitter/X that Bluesky aims to mitigate.

In comparison, X offers users a range of reply controls, including “Everyone,” “Accounts you follow,” “Verified accounts,” and “Only accounts you mention,” as well as the option to post to specific Communities, limiting their reach.

On Threads, users can select between “Anyone,” “Profiles you follow,” and “Mentioned only.”

Bluesky users can enable the new feature by adjusting their default setting for all future posts under Moderation > Interaction Settings in the app’s Settings section.

The newly introduced search feature on a user’s profile allows users to find a particular post when they know the author.

To access both features, users need to update their app to version 1.98. Note that if a user replying to a post hasn’t updated their app and doesn’t follow the original poster, their reply may still be sent but won’t be displayed if the “followers only” option is enabled.

The app’s update also includes minor changes, such as improvements to search and other fixes.