Unread — An RSS Reader

What app design really means.


There are few apps on the App Store that I think are great apps. What I mean by great is that they have been designed and developed to fit right into the iOS ecosystem and have a purpose, while still having their own look and feel. Unread by Jared Sinclair is one of those few apps.


Unread is an RSS reader. It integrates with services like FeedWrangler and Feedly to collect your subscriptions and then delivers them for your reading pleasure in a delightful mannor.

When I first opened Unread, it had a short and sweet on boarding screen to teach me the basic usage of the app. It immediately felt second nature to pull the screen to the left to reveal the “options” menu. As a user of Unread wherever I am in the app, I can always swipe right from anywhere on the screen to go back a screen. This is something called Sloppy Swiping—Jared wrote up a great piece on it here. The whole first time launch experience is amazing. It gives you just a little glimpse of how great this app really is.

One of my favorite parts of Unread is the design. Unread comes out of the box with four themes, plus an additional four “locked” themes—only one of which I have unlocked.

This is the home or welcome screen for Unread. It shows you different accounts and how many unread articles you have.

One of the many great design features is the use of typography. Unread uses a typeface that provides for excellent reading and usability, it is also quite stylish. I also love the use of small caps throughout the app. Unread is set in Whitney by Hoefler & Co.

The article list of Unread.

Another thing Unread does very well is the use of implied borders. There is not a place in the app where I have been confused as to what is tappable and what is not. Everything is clearly stated with Unread excellent design language which is used very consistently throughout the all app.

The article view of Unread.

Unread’s article view is my favorite screen in the app. It is where the “magic” happens. The article view is where hopefully you spend all of the time. For me, that is easy. The goal of Unread is to provide a clean reading experience for the user—one thing that it does very well.

Unread’s design is one of, if not its most, prominent feature. Unread is one of the best looking apps on the App Store.

You can download Unread on the App Store.

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