A new phone application called HyperTexting is offering internet users a fresh way to browse websites, blogs, and newsletters using the familiar scroll-and-follow format popularized by social media platforms.
The app was created by Caleb Hailey, a 20-year technology industry veteran who runs a company called Herd Works. Hailey said he built HyperTexting after growing frustrated with how platforms like Twitter moved away from simple, chronological content discovery toward algorithm-driven feeds. His frustration deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he found himself avoiding social media altogether and rediscovering an old-school RSS reader app called NetNewsWire instead.
HyperTexting works by allowing users to follow websites, news outlets, blogs, and newsletters with a single click, much like following an account on a social platform. Once followed, content from these sources appears in a scrollable feed, formatted with familiar elements such as liking, commenting, and following, but sourced entirely from the open web rather than a centralized platform.
Behind the scenes, the app runs on RSS, the decades-old web protocol that also powers services like WordPress blogs and podcast feeds, although HyperTexting does not promote the technology directly to users. In addition to reading ad-free articles and listening to podcasts, users can publish their own content by connecting personal websites, including WordPress blogs, Ghost newsletters, or sites built with open-source tools like Hugo, as well as HyperTexting’s own site-building tool, HyperTemplates. These posts then appear in the feeds of others following the same site or article.
The app also includes an “Explore” feature that surfaces trending content from across the web, along with an optional Safari browser extension that lets users add new websites to their feed while browsing.
Hailey has described the app as an attempt to return to the internet’s earlier ideals, where individuals published on their own websites rather than centralized social platforms. He noted that prior efforts to bring RSS to mainstream audiences, including Google Reader, failed to gain lasting traction after Google discontinued the service in 2013.
Herd Works has said HyperTexting may eventually introduce premium subscription features or limited sponsored posts to generate revenue. aThe app is currently available exclusively as a free download for iOS users.
