I had the opportunity to test Indigo before its launch — on the 12th — a social media app that unifies the timelines of Bluesky and Mastodon.
The duo of developers, Aaron Vegh and Ben McCarthy, have experience in the field. They’re also behind Croissant, an older app that lets you post simultaneously to Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads. Seen together, it’s as if Indigo were an evolution of Croissant — you can also post to Bluesky and Mastodon at the same time from Indigo.
The app itself is well-polished, with smooth animations, snappy navigation, and a good set of options. The interface uses color to distinguish content from each platform: blue for Bluesky, purple for Mastodon.
The standout feature is the solution the developers came up with for those profiles that post identical posts on both platforms (guilty as charged!). Indigo automatically identifies them and combines both posts into a single entry in your timeline. Right there you can switch between the Bluesky and fediverse versions, which is useful for liking, reposting, or replying.
There’s also notable care taken to distinguish and consolidate features specific to each platform. Bluesky’s alternative feeds are there, as well as privacy options for posting.
My only contribution during the beta phase was reporting cut-off buttons and other interface inconsistencies on iPhones with 4.7-inch screens. (Not the first time.) Even with the fixes, posts and buttons still feel cramped. We owners of the best iPhone suffer.
For anyone active on both platforms — Bluesky and Mastodon — Indigo is the best app I know for bringing them together. And with a regionalized, fair price (USD 34.99/year or USD 4.99/month), with universal access for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. (Yeah, I know, yet another cool app just for Apple platforms.)
For those interested, posts from the developers about the app: Aaron and Ben.