Ambient Closure

Current uses environmental cues to let you know when you're caught up. No unread counts, no anxiety.

The Problem with "Unread"

Traditional readers show unread counts: "247 unread articles." This creates several problems:

• The number feels like a task to complete
• It creates guilt when the count is high
• It never truly goes away because new content keeps arriving
• The goal becomes "inbox zero" instead of enjoyable reading

Environmental Cues

Ambient Closure replaces numbers with feelings. When you've scrolled through most of the fresh content in your river, subtle environmental cues appear:

Visual Calm

The interface relaxes. The scroll area feels more spacious. The overall visual rhythm slows down.

Soft Messages

A gentle message may appear at the end of fresh content. These rotate through contemplative phrases:

• "The current is quiet."
• "You've seen what's new."
• "Time flows on."
• "The river is still."
• "Nothing demands your attention."

Time-Aware Context

Messages can be time-aware, acknowledging morning, afternoon, or evening:

• "A quiet morning."
• "The afternoon is calm."
• "A peaceful evening."

Subtle Haptic

A very soft haptic "exhale" accompanies the closure moment, like a gentle breath out.

When Closure Appears

Ambient Closure triggers when:

• You've scrolled through at least 70% of the fresh content
• You've been in a reading session for a meaningful amount of time
• The pace of new content has slowed

It's designed to appear naturally at the end of a reading session, not to interrupt your flow.

No False Urgency

If you close the app without reaching ambient closure, that's fine. There's no "unfinished" state. The river keeps flowing whether you're watching or not.

The next time you open Current, you pick up where you left off. New content has arrived above the waterline. You engage with what interests you. Eventually, you might reach closure again, or not. Both are okay.

Philosophy

Ambient Closure embodies Current's core philosophy: reading should feel sustainable and calm. You don't need a number to tell you you're done. You can feel it.

Like finishing a walk by a river, there's no exact endpoint. You simply reach a natural stopping point, satisfied with what you've seen, and move on with your day.

Session Tracking

Current tracks your reading session to make ambient closure work:

• Items viewed this session are counted (not shown to you)
• Sessions reset after 30+ minutes of inactivity
• Progress is based on your current session, not historical data

This means each time you open Current, it's a fresh opportunity to reach closure. There's no backlog haunting you from last week.