'Horrible Idea': X Is Making It Extra Difficult to Block Someone and Users Are Pushing Back Meanwhile, X competitors Bluesky and Threads are gaining millions of new users.
By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- X launched a new change to the block function on Sunday.
- Now users will be able to see public posts from accounts that have blocked them.
- X competitors are gaining traction: Threads announced Sunday that it had more than 275 million monthly active users.
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Trying to fully block someone on X? You'll have to do more than hit the block button.
X began rolling out a change to the block function on Sunday that modifies what it means to bar contact with someone on the platform. Under the update, it doesn't matter if you hit the block button or not — the person you're trying to block will be able to see your public posts anyway. They won't be able to engage with your posts by liking or replying to them, but they will still have access.
In order to fully block someone, you will have to make your public posts private.
X first announced the change in mid-October. Within two days of the announcement, X rival Bluesky added 1.2 million new users.
Bluesky now has over 13 million users.
Another X competitor, Meta's Threads network, stated on Sunday that it surpassed 275 million monthly active users, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying last month that more than one million people sign up for Threads daily. In a September post, one Threads user called the block button "one of the most magical features" of the Threads app.
X had 600 million monthly active users as of May.
Meanwhile, X users are showing their disappointment, posting things on the app like "an update nobody asked for," and stating that they block accounts "for safety reasons" and to protect themselves against content thieves.
Horrible idea that NO ONE ASKED FOR.
— T.A.R.S. ? (@TARSRel0aded) November 3, 2024
I block people for safety reasons and if they can still see my posts what the hell is the point??
Those of us who have stalkers on here and content thieves don't appreciate this change at all and shouldn't need to lock our accounts to protect ourselves from predatory types.
— Mountain Streams - AJay (@HDealla) November 3, 2024
