Bluesky Triples Video Upload Limit to Ten Minutes
Bluesky announced on Tuesday, August 26, 2026, that it is increasing its video upload limit from three minutes to ten minutes, effective with the latest update to its platform. Users can now upload videos with a maximum file size of 300MB, and Bluesky stated that upload speeds are now 2x–3x faster than before (TechCrunch).
The previous three-minute limit had been in place since version 1.99 of the Bluesky app, introduced in March 2025. That itself was a raise from an earlier, shorter cap. The jump to ten minutes brings Bluesky's in-app video ceiling on par with TikTok's limit for videos recorded directly within its app. For context, Threads allows five-minute uploads, while X permits 140-second clips for free users and 3–4-hour videos up to 16GB for paying subscribers (TechCrunch).
Under the hood, the change was enabled by raising the default file size limit on what Bluesky calls a Personal Data Server, or PDS, to 300MB. A PDS is the server where a user's data, including media files, is stored in Bluesky's decentralized system. In late July 2026, Bluesky's engineering team indicated this was the planned mechanism, noting it would allow uploads of roughly ten minutes at a standard 3Mbit video bitrate (Bluesky engineering post). The AT Protocol that underpins Bluesky is federated and open, meaning it is built so that different apps and servers can connect to the same network rather than being controlled by one company. The benefits extend beyond Bluesky's own app: other apps built on the same protocol, including Bluescreen, Reelo, and Skylight, will also be able to serve the longer videos (TechCrunch).
The broader context here is less about the technical mechanics and more about trajectory. A ten-minute cap with a 300MB ceiling is a modest spec by the standards of dedicated video platforms, but it is a meaningful step for a federated social network whose storage model distributes media files across user-operated servers rather than centralizing them in a single content delivery network. The 2x–3x upload speed improvement, if it holds in practice across different server providers, addresses one of the friction points that has kept short-form video marginal on the platform.
What remains an open question is whether longer video capacity will help reverse a declining usage trend. Bluesky's active user base dropped by over 25% year-over-year as of July 2026, according to Similarweb data (TechCrunch). The earlier TechCrunch reporting on that decline noted Bluesky's expanding focus beyond its core app as a factor. Whether richer media uploads can re-engage users who have drifted away is something the numbers in coming quarters will have to answer.
The protocol-level dimension is worth flagging for developers. Because the PDS file size limit is the gating parameter, any app built on the AT Protocol can inherit the new ceiling without app-specific changes, provided the server operator has updated. This makes the upgrade structurally different from a closed-platform feature launch: it is a network-wide parameter adjustment that ripples across the ecosystem. Apps like Reelo and Skylight, which target different use cases or communities, gain the capability as a side effect of the infrastructure change rather than through individual deals or API negotiations.
For Bluesky specifically, the move tightens the gap with Threads on video length while remaining well short of X's premium tier. The competitive positioning matters less than the signal it sends about priorities: the team is investing in media richness and upload performance at a moment when user retention is under pressure. Whether that investment arrives in time to change the usage curve, or simply improves the experience for those who remain, will depend on factors well beyond the video limit itself.
