The Bluesky Discover feed just got a privacy control. Bluesky announced on Thursday that it added a new setting for its algorithmic Discover feed. In short, the change targets people who post for their followers and would rather not accidentally go viral.
“We know not everyone wants to go viral. Sometimes you’re just posting for your followers,” Bluesky said in an announcement on its official account.
How the setting works
The control is a single toggle labeled “Ask apps to hide my posts from algorithmic recommendations.” It lives in the app’s Privacy and Security settings as an account-level switch, not a per-post option. So turning it on applies to everything you post.
First, the description next to the toggle explains what happens when you enable it. Your posts then appear in the Discover feed only to people who already follow you. Other apps built on the open protocol, meanwhile, can choose to use this preference in their own algorithmic recommendations.
To turn it on, head to the Privacy and Security settings. In a follow-up post, Bluesky said it can take up to an hour for the setting to fully take effect.
What it doesn’t do
The wording matters. This is a request to apps, not a hard block. The platform’s own note says Bluesky is part of the Atmosphere, an open public network. On that network, these settings ask other apps to honor them rather than forcing any app to comply.
As a result, your posts stay public. Third-party clients and other algorithmic feeds can still show them when they ignore the preference. In addition, it joins an existing option that asks apps and sites not to show your account to logged-out users.
More control is coming
“This is one of a few updates we’re working on to give you more control over your experience and help you find your people,” Bluesky said.
At the same time, social platforms keep handing users more granular controls over their content. For example, Google recently shipped a toggle that lets Gemini users hide visible AI watermarks. Meanwhile, Meta also let Muse Image turn Instagram accounts into AI prompts. Both moves show why creators keep asking for a say in how their posts get used.
For now, the Discover opt-out is the most direct answer yet to an old complaint on open social networks. One offhand post can reach millions of people who never signed up for that audience.
