New RSS app Current replaces unread counts with a 'river' interface

Current is a new RSS reader that aims to offer a reading experience that feels more like dipping into a stream of news, rather than completing a task. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a format that allows users to access updated information from websites in a structured format. Developed by Terry Godier, the app is available on Apple’s App Store for iOS, iPad, and Mac as a one-time purchase costing $9.99. By replacing traditional unread counts and list-based interfaces with a fading feed, the app could make using RSS feeds to consume news and information a more approachable experience.

Instead of structuring feeds as lists to be processed, Current’s main screen functions as a river where content arrives, lingers, and then fades away. Users can assign one of five speeds per source: Breaking, News, Article, Essay, or Tutorial. Each piece of content ages differently, dimming before fading out entirely and becoming invisible based on its category:

• Breaking news remains bright for three hours.
• Daily news articles stick around for around 18 hours.
• Essays sit in the river for three days.
• Evergreen tutorials remain for a week.

As Terry Godier, the developer of Current, explains, “You’re not watching content drift past like a screensaver. It’s a river in the sense that matters: content arrives, lingers for a time, and then fades away.” To navigate, users do not need to manually mark items as read; they simply push cards off the screen with a long left swipe or tap a release button.

This design philosophy directly addresses the social debt associated with traditional feed readers. Godier noted that most RSS readers were built to resemble email inboxes, complete with unread counts and bolded text for new items. He argued that while an email’s unread count represents messages from real people waiting for a response, applying that same visual language to RSS imported the anxiety without the cause. Historically, the RSS format was hugely popular in the early 2000s until the 2006 arrival of Twitter shifted news consumption. Many users subsequently abandoned Google Reader in favor of Twitter’s 140-character posts, leading to Google Reader’s eventual shutdown. However, RSS remains active, supported by competitor RSS apps like Feedly, NetNewsWire, Inoreader, and Reeder.

Why it matters

Current attempts to reduce the anxiety associated with traditional RSS readers by replacing unread counts and list-based interfaces with a ‘river’ metaphor where content fades over time.