The River
Your main feed where all content flows together in a single, unified stream. Unlike an inbox, the river flows whether you're watching or not.
How the River Works
Unlike traditional feed readers that show separate folders or feeds, the River combines everything into one flowing stream. New content arrives at the top and naturally flows down as more content comes in.
Single Unified Feed
All sources flow together (unless filtered by a Current)
Chronological Order
Newest content appears at the top, naturally
Smart Grouping
Related stories are grouped into threads automatically
Content Velocity
Different content types have different lifespans
Content Types
The River displays several types of content, each with its own visual treatment.
Standard Articles
Regular articles displayed as cards with title, source, timestamp, and optional thumbnail.
Source Bursts
When a source publishes multiple articles, they're grouped into a 'burst' to reduce clutter.
Story Threads
Multiple sources covering the same story are grouped with an AI-synthesized headline.
Silt (In-Progress)
Articles you've started but haven't finished appear at the bottom as 'silt.'
Content Velocity
Not all content has the same lifespan. Current automatically categorizes content by its velocity: how long it remains relevant.
Content Velocity
Different content types have different lifespans in your river
Smart expiration
The Waterline
A subtle line in your river marks the waterline. The point where new content begins. Everything above the line arrived since you last opened the app.
The Waterline
A visual marker showing where new content begins
See Waterline for more about this feature.
Interacting with the River
Tap any article to open it in the reader. Your reading progress is automatically saved.
See Gestures for complete interaction details.
River Settings
Flow Depth
Control how much content flows through your river
Balanced mix of content
Flow Depth
Control the volume of content: Quiet (40 items), Normal (80 items), or Surge (140 items). See Flow Depth.
Reading Mode
Choose how articles are displayed: Skim (headlines only), Read (with excerpts), or Study (full excerpts with progress). See Reading Modes.
Understanding River Behavior
Why items disappear
Items naturally leave your river as they age past their velocity window or as new content pushes them down. This is intentional. It keeps your river fresh and manageable.
Why items reappear
If you showed interest in an essay but didn't save it (e.g., held it for more than 500ms), it may resurface later through the Resurfacing feature.
Session restoration
When you reopen Current, your scroll position is restored to exactly where you left off. The app maintains your context even after being closed.