Tapbots, known for the now-defunct Tweetbot app, is planning to release a new app for the Bluesky social network later this year.
Called Phoenix, the app will be developed for iPhone and Mac in tandem with Ivory, the app that Tapbots created for the Mastodon social network. Tapbots says that Bluesky has become so popular that its clients are now split between Mastodon and Bluesky, and it is no longer possible for the company to survive on Ivory alone.
Tapbots does not plan to stop development on Ivory, and work on the Mastodon app will continue after Phoenix is released. The two apps will share features, but will be separate. Tapbots says that it made more sense to develop two separate apps than to create a single combo app to provide a better customer experience, but cross-platform posting is a feature planned for the future.
After Twitter (now X) stopped supporting third-party platforms like Tweetbot, Tapbots pivoted to Ivory, an iPhone and Mac app designed for posting on the Mastodon social network. Both Mastodon and Bluesky are popular alternatives to Twitter/X.
Tapbots plans to release Phoenix sometime this summer, with a limited public alpha coming in the near future. More information is available on the Tapbots website.
