Support

Getting started

What is a feed? Do I need to know what RSS is?

Most news sites, many blogs and every podcast publish a feed: a list of what they have published, updated as they publish. Confluve reads those feeds for you. You don’t need to know how they work. Find a source in Discover, or type a site’s address.

How do I add a source?

In Discover, browse the directory by category, search for a podcast by name, or choose Add a Feed and type a website or feed address. On the Mac, ⌘N opens Add a Feed, and the + beside Sources in the sidebar does too.

Confluve can’t find a feed on a site I read.

Some sites don’t publish one. If the site has a feed, its address often ends in /feed, /rss or /atom.xml; type that address. You can also try the site’s name in Discover.

How do I bring my subscriptions from another reader?

Export an OPML file from your old reader, then choose Import OPML in Library or Discover (on the Mac, Library or the ⋯ menu beside Sources). On the Mac, Confluve shows what it will add before adding anything. On the free plan an import adds up to 5 sources.

Reading

What’s the difference between Front Page and Latest?

Front Page shows the newest story from each source, one per source. Latest shows every story, newest first, grouped by day.

Why do some stories have no picture?

The feed didn’t send one. Confluve shows the source’s logo instead of fetching the article’s page to look for a picture, which would mean a request to the publisher for every story.

A feed only sends a summary. Can I read the whole article?

With Premium, choose Show Full Article. Without it, Open in Browser shows the publisher’s page.

How long are stories kept?

As long as you like. In Storage you can choose to remove, after 30 days to a year, the stories a feed no longer carries. Read Later, Starred, downloaded and part-played stories, and anything in Up Next or a playlist, are always kept.

Listening

Where are my downloaded episodes?

In Library › Downloads. Delete a download there, or from the episode.

Why didn’t my download start?

If Download over Wi-Fi Only is on, Confluve asks before downloading over cellular. You can download that one episode anyway, or wait for Wi-Fi.

Which voice does Read Aloud use?

The voice built into your device. It runs on the device, offline.

What does Up Next do when something ends?

It starts the next entry. Turn this off in Settings › Continue with Up Next.

iCloud sync

How do I turn on sync?

Confluve asks when you first open it. Later, turn on Sync with iCloud in Settings on each device, then quit and reopen Confluve. You need to be signed in to iCloud.

What syncs?

Sources, categories and pins; what you’ve read, Read Later and Starred; listening and Read Aloud progress; smart folders, playlists and Up Next; and a few settings, such as Latest’s window and playback speed.

What doesn’t?

The stories themselves: each device fetches them from the publishers. Downloaded audio, appearance and text size stay on each device.

My other device hasn’t caught up yet.

Changes can take a little while to reach your other devices. Make sure both are signed in to the same iCloud account with sync on.

How do I remove my data from iCloud?

In Storage (Library › Storage on iPhone and iPad, Settings › Storage on the Mac), choose Delete iCloud Data. Everything stays on the device, and sync is turned off on it. Turn sync off on your other devices first, or they’ll upload their copy again.

Privacy

Does Confluve know what I read?

No. There is no Confluve server and no account. Your reading stays on your devices, and in your own iCloud if you turn on sync.

Who can see my requests?

Each publisher sees that your device asked for its feed, as a website sees a browser: your IP address and the app’s name. Searching for a podcast by name asks Apple’s public directory. Details are in the Privacy Policy.

Premium

See the questions about Premium. To restore a purchase on a new device, open Premium and choose Restore Purchases.