Bluesky sees user surge amid exodus from X after US election

User base passes 15m after 1m sign-ups as it rises to top US chart on Apple's App Store

Donald Trump's US election victory - and billionaire Elon Musk's role in helping to get him elected - has sent many users of Mr Musk's social networking service X, formerly known as Twitter, leaving for alternatives.

One of the key beneficiaries of the exodus has been Bluesky, which rocketed to the No. 1 spot on the Apple App Store's US chart this week.

Bluesky's user base has doubled in the past 90 days. On Nov 13, the company said it had gained one million new sign-ups in the past week alone, bringing it to more than 15 million total users.

WHAT IS BLUESKY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Bluesky is a social media service with a lot of the same features you might find on X, Facebook and Instagram. Users can create a profile, follow other accounts, like and reshare posts, and send private messages.

Bluesky users have the option to see several different feeds based on their interests. They can see traditional feeds made up of posts from the people they choose to follow, for example, or scroll through feeds focused on certain topics, such as science, gardening or "cat pics".