This is a quick update on my current priorities for the next updates to Unread. I anticipate changes to these priorities over time, but this is my current thinking.

Support for Additional Feed Syncing Systems

I recently added support for Inkwell. I am working on adding support for additional feed syncing systems.

Many customers use Unread with a feed syncing system that Unread does not directly support using their Fever API implementations. This works, but the Fever API has limitations that affect Unread’s functionality. Most of these systems also provide more full-featured APIs that would let Unread provide a better experience with these systems.

Adding support for additional feed syncing systems is a high priority.

Improvements Around Reddit and YouTube

I have some ideas around making Unread even better for following subreddits and for following YouTube channels.

Focus on iPhone and iPad

I want to bring some improvements from Unread for Mac to iPhone and iPad:

• Improvements to the search interface
• Undo support
• Optimizations that would make Unread even faster

Focus on iPad

I am seriously considering a multi-pane interface for iPad.

Unread for Mac will find and load a higher resolution version of an image when you zoom in on it. This would also be beneficial on iPad, and even on larger screen iPhones.

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Unread is available from the App Store. If you enjoy using Unread, please consider subscribing to Unread Premium.

In the Unread 4.8 release announcement, I described the reliability improvements in Unread’s webpage text generation as follows:

When the webpage text cloud service is unable to generate webpage text for a specific article, Unread now falls back to the on-device webpage text generator that it uses for articles associated with website accounts. This makes webpage text generation much more reliable.

In this post I describe this set of improvements in more detail.

Two Webpage Text Generators

Unread has a cloud service that generates webpage text for most webpages. Unread asks it to generate webpage text for a URL, and the cloud service returns webpage text for that URL. Using this cloud service to generate webpage text reduces the amount of data and battery power that Unread needs from your device.

When I added the website accounts feature for paywalled articles, I added an on-device webpage text generator. Despite the benefits of using a cloud service, I did not want customer website credentials or account-protected information going through my servers. Unread’s servers never see information pertaining to website accounts, and have no part in generating webpage text when using a website account. Until this release, Unread only used the on-device webpage text generator when there was an applicable website account.

Locked Down Websites

I am seeing an increasing number of websites refusing webpage requests from clients coming from data centers and cloud platforms. I believe the rise of artificial intelligence has motivated websites to block requests for webpages that look like they come from an automated agent.

As of now, Unread’s webpage text cloud service is unable to generate webpage text for just under 2% of requested article URLs. Typically in those situations, my servers are getting a 403 Forbidden response from the website. The website appears to detect that the request is coming from a data center or cloud platform.

The on-device webpage text generator does not have this issue because it makes requests directly from your device. So now when Unread’s webpage text cloud service cannot generate webpage text for an article, Unread falls back to its on-device webpage text generator.

Pattern Detection

The webpage text cloud service tracks when it succeeds and when it does not succeed at generating webpage text from each website. It uses that data to maintain a list of websites from which it is consistently unable to generate webpage text. Unread maintains a synced copy of that list of websites. When Unread needs to generate webpage text from a website in that list, it uses the on-device webpage text generator without first asking the cloud service.

This avoids the delay of Unread first issuing a request to the cloud service when that will likely result in an error.

The End Result

In summary, this determines which webpage text generator Unread uses:

• If retrieving a webpage requires website account credentials, Unread uses its on-device webpage text generator. Unread’s servers have no part in generating webpage text when using a website account.
• If the webpage is from a website where the cloud service is consistently unable to generate webpage text, Unread uses the on-device webpage text generator.
• Otherwise, Unread asks the cloud service to generate webpage text.
• In the rare circumstance in which the cloud service tries generate webpage text and encounters an error, Unread will fall back on its on-device webpage text generator.

The update is available now from the App Store.

Unread 4.8 adds these improvements and more:

• Syncing with Inkwell, a new web-based RSS reader from Micro.blog
• Reliability improvements around webpage text
• Faster opening of link articles

This update is available now from the App Store.

Syncing With Inkwell

Inkwell is a new web-based RSS reader and syncing service by Micro.blog. This update adds the ability to sync with Inkwell. Add an Inkwell account to Unread just like you would any other feed service account. Manton Reece describes Inkwell in his introduction post:

Today we’re releasing a new RSS feed reader called Inkwell. It’s a companion product to Micro.blog, so you’ll sign in with your existing Micro.blog account.

Inkwell is a special take on RSS. It has many features you’d expect in an RSS reader, but it also adds integration with Micro.blog conversations and text highlighting. While reading a blog post, you can highlight passages to blog about later.

I encourage you to read his entire post. Congratulations to Manton and the Micro.blog team on the launch of Inkwell!

I updated Unread’s privacy policy, adding a link to the Micro.blog privacy policy.

Reliability Improvements Around Webpage Text

When the webpage text cloud service is unable to generate webpage text for a specific article, Unread now falls back to the on-device webpage text generator that it uses for articles associated with website accounts. This makes webpage text generation much more reliable.

Faster Opening of Link Articles

When showing both feed and webpage text for an article whose webpage text has not yet been retrieved, Unread now shows the feed text immediately when it is opened. It then retrieves the webpage text and appends it to the article. This makes it possible to start reading the feed text immediately, saving time and making the app faster.

Additional Improvements

• On iPhone and iPad, menu items for renaming folders and tags are now consistently called “Rename Folder” and “Rename Tag” respectively, except when working in a NewsBlur account. In a NewsBlur account, the menu item is still called “Edit Folder” because the resulting screen also allows you to set the parent folder of the NewsBlur folder.
• Unread now treats most kottke.org articles as link articles. If you set the link article display mode to Feed & Webpage Text for the kottke.org feed, you will see both the kottke.org article and the article to which it links. This change will apply to new articles downloaded after installing this update.
• This update adds minor improvements around sharing articles to other apps via the share sheet on iPhone and iPad.
• This update adds a variety of improvements to the in-app webpage text generator.

This update is available now from the App Store. If you enjoy using Unread, please consider subscribing to Unread Premium.

Plinky is the easiest way to save links on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or browser. All your links, saved in one place. Plinky and Unread work well together. One of Unread’s article actions lets you save a link to Plinky from the swipe left menu of an article, from the context menu in an article list, or via a hardware keyboard shortcut.

Today we are announcing a partnership making it even more appealing for Plinky customers to use Unread, and more appealing for Unread customers to use Plinky.

Unread Premium subscribers can get an annual Plinky Pro subscription at a 50% discount. The Plinky Pro discount continues for as long as you remain an Unread Premium subscriber.

Similarly Plinky Pro subscribers can get an annual subscription to Unread Premium at a 50% discount. The Unread Premium discount continues for as long as you remain a Plinky Pro subscriber.

We built this discount around Apple’s Contingent Pricing system, which allows developers to offer discounts based on subscriptions to other apps.

If you use Unread and subscribe to Plinky Pro, this is a great opportunity to subscribe to Unread Premium and take advantage of Unread’s Plinky integration. If you are an Unread Premium subscriber, I encourage you to try Plinky and take advantage of the discount on Plinky Pro.

We began working on this partnership to support apps that support the open web. If you're the developer of an app that supports the open web and are interested in working with us, please get in touch.

Unread 4.7 is available from the App Store. This modest update adds liquid glass support on iPhone and iPad when running iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. Alerts, software keyboards, and context menus for selected text in articles now look more modern. There is still very little liquid glass in the core user interface.

This update also incorporates these improvements:

• Unread’s premium feature offering is now called Unread Premium. On Mac the toolbar item for Unread Premium now has a new icon.
• This update adds minor improvements around sharing articles to other apps via the share sheet on iPhone and iPad.
• This update fixes a bug that prevented a progress spinner from disappearing after reloading webpage text failed.
• This update fixes a rare crash.

The MacStories team just announced the MacStories Selects winners for 2025. They awarded Unread the MacStories Selects 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award!

I could not be more excited about this. Thanks to the MacStories team for this amazing honor.

This award is not mine alone. As the MacStories article acknowledges, Unread was originally written by Jared Sinclair. The Supertop team, Oisín Prendiville and Pádraig Ó Cinnéide, maintained and improved Unread for three years. This award belongs to all of us.

Congratulations to all the MacStories Selects award winners, and to Apple’s 2025 App Store Award winners.