A new short-form video startup, Skylight, is taking a different path from TikTok-style apps by putting content curation into human hands rather than relying on algorithms. With its 2.0 release, launched Monday, Skylight introduces custom feeds built by curators, users who post and repost videos for others to follow.
The approach is designed to appeal to people uneasy about big social platforms’ algorithmic control or the surge of low-quality, AI-generated content filling traditional feeds.
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Built on Bluesky’s decentralized AT Protocol, Skylight first went live in April as an open alternative to TikTok. Since launch, it has been downloaded 240,000 times, with 100,000 videos uploaded. Early backers include investor Mark Cuban.
Because Skylight uses Bluesky login credentials, it can tap into Bluesky’s 38.4 million–user base, giving it a built-in advantage as it scales. With the new version, users can create their own “curator” feeds directly, and soon, thanks to an integration with Graze, they’ll be able to build these feeds inside Skylight itself.
Accessing curated feeds is simple: swipe left from the home page to explore selections and tap the plus (+) button to follow a curator.
The update also adds:
• Livestreaming, powered by fellow AT Protocol app Streamplace.
• Redesigned player with full-screen mode and split-screen browsing, letting users watch while continuing to explore content.
Skylight is the work of a two-person team, CEO Tori White and CTO Reed Harmeyer. White has built buzz for the app on TikTok, where her behind-the-scenes updates to over 63,000 followers have helped drive spikes in downloads. Just last week, Skylight added 20,000 new installs, even before version 2.0 went live.
Looking ahead, Skylight plans to expand with features like music integration, bookmarks, and account switching. The app is available now as a free download on iOS and Android.
