Openvibe Integrates News and Social Media with New RSS Feed Support
Openvibe, the popular application designed to unify various open social networks, is expanding its functionality to include RSS feeds, allowing users to follow their favorite news sites and blogs directly within the app. This move positions Openvibe as a comprehensive content aggregator, merging social interactions with news consumption in a single, streamlined platform.
Previously, Openvibe enabled users to follow open social networks such as Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, and Nostr. The addition of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) support, an open standard for distributing content updates, means users can now subscribe to automatic updates from news websites and blogs. This feature aims to reduce the need for users to juggle multiple newsreaders, websites, or social networking applications, providing a more cohesive digital experience.
This strategic enhancement places Openvibe in direct competition with other content aggregation platforms like Tapestry, Feeeed, and Surf. Openvibe CEO Matej Svancer highlighted that RSS support was always a part of the app’s long-term vision, but it was prioritized due to strong user demand. The feature was successfully tested with over 100 users who collectively added more than 4,000 feeds.
Users can integrate RSS feeds into Openvibe by adding them individually, exploring suggested sites, or importing existing OPML files from other news readers. The app plans to introduce a leaderboard to showcase popular feeds once RSS adoption grows, guiding users to trending content sources.
Openvibe offers flexibility in how users view their RSS content. Updates can be tracked in the app’s main home feed, a dedicated “RSS” feed, or integrated into custom feeds. While RSS can technically support podcasts and YouTube channels, Openvibe is currently focusing solely on news and blogs to ensure an optimal user experience, as direct integration of other formats might require opening items in a browser, which is not yet the primary focus.
The app also includes a “Performance Mode” toggle that can disable image loading in timeline previews, making it less resource-intensive for users. For news and blogs, Openvibe defaults to opening content within a clean, distraction-free reading mode, though users can opt to open articles in their external browsers.
Openvibe is currently available for free on both iOS and Android devices, with no in-app purchases. The company intends to introduce a subscription model in the future. The startup has received backing from investors including Czech Founders VC, Tensor Ventures, and Automattic, the parent company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, and Beeper.
