Flipboard's Surf app, a platform for browsing the open social web, has announced a significant update to its beta software, dubbed "Blue Wave". This new version enables users to log in with their Bluesky credentials, providing seamless access to their Bluesky feeds, including following feeds, discover feeds, and custom feeds.

The integration also allows users to tap into other Bluesky sources when building their own custom feeds, such as Bluesky's Starter Packs, Lists, and Custom Feeds. This means users can interact with posts from Bluesky's network by liking, replying to, and reposting them, with likes and replies from Bluesky users also displaying in Surf.

According to Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, Surf provides "seamless access" to anyone posting on Bluesky, Mastodon, or Threads. He envisions Surf as an alternative to centralized social media, which is increasingly overrun with AI-generated content. McCue believes that Surf's approach, which emphasizes human connection and trusted sources, can help filter out the noise and provide a more authentic social experience.

In addition to the Bluesky integration, the Blue Wave update introduces a setup wizard that guides users through the process of creating their own custom home feed in Surf. This feature allows users to design a universal timeline by combining feeds from Mastodon and Bluesky, including following feeds or other custom feeds. The setup wizard also enables users to filter out unwanted content, such as politics, and even toggle switches to hide posts about specific individuals, like Donald Trump or Elon Musk.

Surf's strength lies in its ability to help users build topical feeds that combine posts from across open social networks and other open protocols like RSS. This allows users to follow people and topics they're interested in, without being limited to a single platform. For example, one of McCue's feeds, "Tech Builders and Thinkers," includes individuals whose accounts are on Mastodon, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Currently, all feeds in Surf are public by default, allowing users to follow feeds built by others. However, McCue plans to introduce private feeds in the future, enabling users to choose which feeds they want to share more broadly. Users can also customize the design and layout of their feeds, setting cover images and background colors, as well as selecting default tabs.

The Surf Blue Wave beta update was first demonstrated at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, and will roll out to existing testers. The company will also be opening up the beta to a new wave of testers with this release. Furthermore, Surf will eventually exit Apple's TestFlight testing platform, allowing the app to reach beyond the 10,000 tester limit imposed by Apple. Flipboard is also working on bringing the currently iOS-only Surf app to the web.

The expansion of Surf's support for Bluesky's social network marks a significant step forward in the app's mission to unify the social web. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, Surf's approach may provide a refreshing alternative to traditional, centralized platforms.