Sync Services

Current can sync with popular RSS services, so your subscriptions stay in sync across all your devices and apps.

Why Use a Sync Service?

While Current works perfectly standalone, connecting a sync service offers several benefits:

• Multi-device sync: Your subscriptions and read state sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and web
• Use multiple apps: Read in Current on your phone and another app on your Mac
• Backup: Your subscriptions are safely stored in the cloud
• Existing subscriptions: Import your feeds from another reader instantly

Supported Services

Feedbin

Feedbin is a popular, privacy-focused RSS service with excellent performance.

To connect:

1. Go to Settings → Sync
2. Tap Feedbin
3. Enter your Feedbin email and password
4. Tap Connect

Newsblur

Newsblur offers a free tier and has been around since 2009.

To connect:

1. Go to Settings → Sync
2. Tap Newsblur
3. Enter your Newsblur username and password
4. Tap Connect

Miniflux

Miniflux is a minimalist, self-hosted RSS reader. If you run your own instance, Current can connect to it.

To connect:

1. Go to Settings → Sync
2. Tap Miniflux
3. Enter your Miniflux server URL
4. Enter your API key (from Miniflux settings)
5. Tap Connect

Google Reader Protocol

Many services implement the Google Reader API protocol. If your service supports it, Current can connect.

Services using Google Reader API include:

• FreshRSS (self-hosted)
• Inoreader
• The Old Reader
• BazQux
• And others

To connect:

1. Go to Settings → Sync
2. Tap Google Reader Protocol
3. Enter your service's API endpoint URL
4. Enter your credentials
5. Tap Connect

What Syncs

When connected to a sync service, the following data syncs:

• Subscriptions: All your feed sources
• Folders/Categories: Organization (mapped to Currents where possible)
• Read state: Which articles you've read
• Starred/Saved: Saved articles (mapped to Read Later)

Current-specific features like Author metadata, reading progress, and local preferences remain on-device.

Offline Behavior

Current queues changes when offline and syncs them when connection is restored:

• Subscribe/unsubscribe actions are queued
• Read state changes are queued
• Save/unsave actions are queued

This means you can use Current anywhere: on a plane, in the subway, or anywhere without signal. And your changes will sync later.

Conflict Resolution

If the same article is modified on multiple devices before syncing, Current uses sensible defaults:

• Read state: If marked read anywhere, stays read
• Saved state: If saved anywhere, stays saved
• Subscriptions: Additions are kept, deletions require confirmation

Disconnecting

To disconnect from a sync service:

1. Go to Settings → Sync
2. Tap the connected service
3. Tap Disconnect
4. Confirm the action

After disconnecting, your local subscriptions remain intact, but changes won't sync to other devices.

Credential Security

Your sync credentials are stored securely in the iOS Keychain, which is encrypted and protected by your device passcode/biometrics. Current never stores passwords in plain text or transmits them insecurely.

Troubleshooting

Sync seems slow

Initial sync can take time if you have many subscriptions. Subsequent syncs are much faster as only changes need to sync.

Missing feeds

Some feeds may fail to import if they're no longer valid or have changed URLs. Check your sync service's web interface to see the original list.

Authentication errors

If you get authentication errors, try disconnecting and reconnecting. Some services require re-authentication periodically.

Service-specific issues

If a sync service is experiencing issues, Current will show an error banner. Check the service's status page and try again later.