FeedBro lets you decide how your reading list opens, looks and counts. Every choice is optional, and the defaults suit most people. This guide goes through each setting, what it does and who might want to change it.
Where to find them
There are two places, and they hold the same settings. Open Settings and choose Reading, or press the sliders button above your list on the dashboard to get the Reading preferences popup. On a phone the popup is a sheet that slides up from the bottom. A change in one place shows in the other. The settings belong to your account, so they follow you into the browser extension too.
Opening articles
- Default view is the list FeedBro opens with: Today, All articles, Unread only, Saved, Read Later or Where I left off. If you like to start with only what is new, pick Unread only. If you leave a list half read and want to continue tomorrow, pick Where I left off.
- Opening an article decides what a tap does. Read it in FeedBro shows the cleaned-up article in the reader. Read in a new tab opens the publisher's own website instead (in the apps it says Read in the app browser). Choose the website if you prefer to see the original page, with its own layout.
- Mark read sets when an article counts as read. When I open it is the default. When I scroll past it suits people who skim the list and want the skipped items out of the way. Only when I say so suits people who want full control and mark articles themselves.
Appearance
- List changes how the list looks. Normal is the default, Compact (headlines only) fits many more articles on screen, and Cards (with pictures) shows bigger pictures. Heavy readers often like Compact. Browsers of photo-rich feeds often like Cards.
- Theme sets the colours: Match my device, Light, Dark or Sepia. Sepia is a warm, paper-like tone that some people find easier on the eyes for long reading. Dark helps at night.
- Right column shows or hides the column on the right with your unread count and this week's trending articles. Hide it and the list uses the full width. It only appears on larger screens, so on a phone this setting changes nothing.
What the list shows
- Show leaves out articles older than a chosen age in every list: Everything, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days or Last 30 days. It is handy if you only care about fresh news. Nothing is deleted, and you can change it back at any time.
- Same story from several feeds chooses between Show every one and Show it once. With the second option, when two feeds carry the same story only the first is listed. Nothing is deleted or marked read. It helps if you follow several news sites that cover the same events.
Counters and tracking
- Numbers beside feeds and collections chooses what the sidebar counts: Unread articles or All articles. Pick unread if you use the numbers as a to-do list. Pick all if you want to see how much a feed publishes.
- Count as unread for sets how long an article can stay unread: 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, 90 days or Always. Older articles count as read, so your unread list and counts stay about recent news. Nothing is deleted, the articles stay in your feeds, and saved ones are kept. It is useful if you follow busy feeds and never want a backlog of thousands.
A few starting points
- For a quick morning skim, choose Compact, Unread only and When I scroll past it.
- For careful reading, choose Read it in FeedBro, Sepia and Only when I say so.
- For a calm inbox, set Count as unread for to 7 days and Show it once for repeated stories.
Good to know
- Every setting is available on Free and Coffee Club, except the Always option of Count as unread for, which is Coffee Club only.
- Nothing here deletes an article. You can switch any setting back whenever you like.
Open the sliders button now and try one change. If a setting does not behave the way you expect, tell us through the contact page.
