Following a restricted beta phase, Bluesky has opened its 'Live Now' badge for streamers to the entire user base on the platform. This addition comes in the v1.114 software update, which also introduces cashtags, a specialized hashtag variant designed to group discussions around publicly listed companies.
The company began experimenting with the Live Now badge back in May 2025, initially restricting access to select accounts such as the NBA's official profile. The tool enables Twitch users who maintain Bluesky accounts to attach a Live Now indicator to their avatar, which directs viewers straight to their ongoing broadcast. At present, the badges connect exclusively to Twitch streams, though Bluesky indicates that expansions to additional platforms could occur based on insights from the trial period. While integrating external links isn't groundbreaking, Bluesky deliberately contrasts its approach with rival X, which has historically discouraged such sharing.
Cashtags represent another effort to attract experienced users from X. A holdover from the pre-Musk Twitter era, these function similarly to hashtags by organizing content for easy discovery through searches or direct taps. Users on Bluesky can incorporate a cashtag by prefixing a dollar sign to a company's stock symbol, such as $AAPL for Apple, thereby connecting their content to related discussions. Although Bluesky's community has leaned less toward finance compared to X, this inclusion signals an intent to accommodate newcomers from that platform.