Resurfacing
Resurfacing brings back essays you showed interest in but didn't save, giving slow-burn content a second chance at the right moment.
The Problem
You're scrolling through your river and see an interesting essay. You hesitate, maybe hold it for a moment, but you're busy and let it pass. Days later, you wish you'd saved it, but it's long gone from your river.
Resurfacing solves this by tracking subtle interest signals and bringing back content when the time is right.
How It Works
Interest Detection
Current tracks when you show interest in an article without saving it:
- Hold duration: Pressing and holding an article for 500ms+ indicates interest
- Scroll pause: Stopping to read the excerpt
- Partial read: Opening an article but not finishing
Eligibility
Not all content resurfaces. Candidates must be:
- Essays or Evergreen: Only slow-velocity content resurfaces
- At least 3 days old: Some time must pass first
- Not already saved: If you saved it, it's in Read Later
- Within resurface limits: Maximum 3 times per item
Probability Decay
Each resurface attempt has decreasing probability:
- First resurface: 100% chance
- Second resurface: 50% chance
- Third resurface: 25% chance
- After third: Won't resurface again
This prevents the same article from appearing endlessly while giving it multiple chances to catch your attention.
Flow Depth Limits
The number of resurfaces per session depends on your Flow Depth setting:
- Quiet: 1 resurface per session
- Normal: 2 resurfaces per session
- Surge: 3 resurfaces per session
See Flow Depth for more on controlling content volume.
Natural Presentation
Resurfaced items appear naturally in your river without special labeling:
- No "resurfaced" badge or indicator
- Scattered throughout the feed, not grouped
- Same appearance as regular articles
This avoids biasing your perception. The article stands on its own merits, just as if you were seeing it fresh.
Why Only Essays?
Breaking news and daily articles have short lifespans. Resurfacing a 3-day-old news story doesn't make sense. But essays and evergreen content remain relevant:
- A thoughtful analysis is still worth reading next week
- A tutorial or guide doesn't expire
- Long-form writing deserves a patient audience
Current automatically categorizes content by velocity and only resurfaces the slower types.
If You Keep Seeing Something
If an article keeps reappearing and you're not interested:
- Swipe to release: Removes it from this session
- After 3 resurfaces: It won't appear again
- Save it: Moves to Read Later, stops resurfacing
Philosophy
Resurfacing embodies the idea that the right content at the wrong time isn't the right content. Maybe you weren't ready for that essay on Tuesday. Maybe Sunday afternoon is perfect for it.
By tracking interest signals rather than forcing explicit decisions, Current helps good content find its moment.