Pixelfed, Instagram's Decentralized Competitor, Is Now On iOS and Android

Pixelfed has launched its mobile app for iOS and Android, solidifying its position as a viable alternative to Instagram. The move also comes at a pivotal moment, as a potential Supreme Court ban on TikTok could drive users to explore other social media platforms. Pixelfed is ad-free, open source, decentralized, defaults to chronological feeds and doesn't share user data with third parties. Engadget reports: The platform launched in 2018, but was only available on the web or through third-party app clients. The Android app debuted on January 9 and the iOS app released today. Creator Daniel Supernault posted on Mastodon Monday evening that the platform had 11,000 users join over the preceding 24 hours and that more than 78,000 posts have been shared to Pixelfed to date. The platform runs on ActivityPub, the same protocol that powers several other decentralized social networks in the fediverse, such as Mastodon and Flipboard. The iOS and Android apps are available at their respective links.

Further reading: Meta Is Blocking Links to Decentralized Instagram Competitor Pixelfed

Great to see competition for Meta, but

[BishopBerkeley]

It would be nice if people were gravitating to a healthier habit, not continuing to waste time on feeds full of worthless shit.

Federation?

[dskoll]

So, are there plans for Pixelfed to federate with Mastodon? If they use the same software, that should be easy (from a technical point of view, anyway...)

I already have two social network accounts (Mastodon and LinkedIn) or three if you count Slashdot. I really don't want a fourth.

How?

[memory_register]

Ad fee, no spyware, decentralized... how do they make money?

Re:

[NotRobot]

Wild guess: There will be paid content that the users will be 'gently' nudged towards. Seen a couple less popular platforms that apparently worked like that.

Needless to say, the paid content was...not something I'd normally choose to watch. Fruitcake conspiracy theories, narcissistic self-advertisement, flat-out propaganda, etc.

Hidden listing?

[knoledgesponge]

Tried searching the Apple App Store and could not find it, yet the link on the article worked fine. I am also interested in mastodon federation. Also hoping there is a way to avoid some sort of social media to avoid being blocked in China⦠VPNs are such a hassle and often stop working reliably for weeks at a time when important conferences take place etc (Beijing).

Re:

[sosume]

No, it's just that the App Store is a piece of junk. I guess that's what you pay a 30% premium for.