A startup called Germ is the first private messenger that opens directly from the Bluesky app

Here’s something you’ve never seen before on Big Tech platforms: Bluesky’s social media platform has incorporated new technology since its inception. Germ Network to bring closed-end (E2E) messaging to the Bluesky app. This move makes Germ DM the first private messenger that can be installed natively within the Bluesky app.

Along with the installation, Germ is also releasing new direction which will allow other software built on the AT Protocol that empowers Bluesky to do the same.

This move is a clear example of how open social media works differently from the Big Tech platforms that dominate the space today, as new services and features can be created by the community, not by the company itself.

Bluesky he announced integration with Germ earlier this month, I note that the experimental integration will allow Germ users to add a button to their profile so that others can send them messages on Bluesky in private E2E environments.

Currently, Germ’s standalone app is also available in public beta on iOS in North America and Europe. The app has had thousands of downloads so far, but after the announcement of the merger, daily users jumped by 5x, the team said.

Germ from California is a startup founded by Tessa Browna communications expert who previously taught at Stanford, is Mark Xuewho worked as a private engineer at Apple on technologies such as FaceTime and iMessage. The idea, the company previously explained to TechCrunch, was to provide an alternative to other hidden E2E platforms such as iMessage, Signal, and WhatsApp that are built on new technologies.

Today, Germ takes advantage of Messaging Layer Security (MLS), a new standard approved by a Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and AT Protocol (or ATProto), which powers Bluesky, Skylight, and a host of other social media apps.

Instead of requiring a user’s phone number, Germ integrates with ATProto to start its private chat. This means that Germ’s messages cannot be changed by another service, including itself or Bluesky.

To use the new messenger, simply tap the badge on your friend’s profile on Bluesky, which opens the iOS App – a lightweight, portable app. You click “open” on the application notification and confirm by logging in with your ATProto handle. You can send a message to a friend instantly. You will also be forced to download the full Germ DM software, but this is optional.

If you want to add a badge to your profile, you will download the Germ DM app on iOS and verify your Bluesky profile there. (Note: We had to force quit the Bluesky iOS app and restart it before the Germ badge appeared.)

The company has been developing the Bluesky integration for months, starting with a private beta in August, which was launched using “magic links” shared by users. Now, users who have installed Germ to work within Bluesky will get a new badge displayed on their profile, allowing them to remove the link-in-bio option they were previously using. (The links will still work, but the badge is simpler and more visible, of course.)

Germ told TechCrunch their startup has been in discussions with ATProto’s developer team, including Bluesky’s software and protocol teams, since Atmosphere Conference in Seattle last year.

“We’ve been open about our plans and roadmap, and our private beta launch in August provided valuable feedback from users and developers about the desire to replace our links with a common UI,” said Xue, who is CTO at Germ Network. “Both our teams and Bluesky saw the value of AppView’s improved support for the Germ link.”

The change in the Bluesky program was led by the head of product Alex Benzer, as was the company looked to try and implementing third-party services within Bluesky.

“Working directly with the Bluesky team has been a pleasure,” Brown, CEO of Germ, told TechCrunch. “They deliver fast, prioritize content, and care about how users get end-to-end encrypted messages. We’re excited to be the first secure messenger they’ve brought into their app.”

While it is true that the AT Protocol can use E2E encryption, it is not necessary today. As Bluesky’s protocol engineer Daniel Holms explained recently, the company has several reasons for not creating the system itself.

“The fact is that E2EE is difficult,” he he wrote in a blog post. “And these challenges are not something that the protocol team at Bluesky can handle – they’re pushed to every professional trying to build a client that works with encrypted data,” Holms said.

Xue agreed, adding, “We agree with ATProto’s culture to enable people to communicate using the software and tools of their choice. We believe that by solving difficult problems for ATProto users in a safe, transparent, and user-friendly way, they will continue to choose us,” he said.

A little while later Bluesky added Germ badge support, another one AT Protocol-based client, Blackskytoo.

Brown said the group is focused on delivering daily messages, not on making money. But further down the road, Germ may try paid tools.

“We hope that our first paid products will be based on the needs of prosumer power users such as producers, journalists, and politicians – for example, support for multiple handles and AI’s secret analysis of the first messages from new connections,” he said.