Unread 4.6 Adds Support for Apple’s New Operating System Releases

John Brayton (/)
2025-09-15T09:04:58-04:00

Unread 4.6 is available now from the App Store. This update adds improvements to support Apple’s new operating system releases.

Layout Changes on iPhone and iPad

In most themes, the status bar and the bottom bar now have the same color as the background color of the article list or the article screen. On both iPhone and iPad, the title or syncing status is now horizontally centered and shown above the home indicator. On iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, the title or syncing status is now vertically centered in the bottom bar. This looks better because the home indicator is usually hidden on iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.

When searching for an article or for a feed subscription, the search field now appears at the bottom of the screen or just above the software keyboard.

This update does not add liquid glass to Unread on iPhone or iPad. I anticipate incorporating liquid glass in future versions of Unread for iPhone and iPad, but I need to take more time and do so carefully.

Layout of Unread on iPhone

Menu Bar on iPadOS 26

Unread 4.6 integrates with the menu bar on iPad when running iPadOS 26. This provides easy access to most actions, and makes it easier to look up keyboard shortcuts.

Menu bar in Unread for iPad

Keyboard Shortcuts on iPhone and iPad

Since keyboard shortcuts now work with the system menu bar, adopting support for the iPad menu bar warranted revisiting some keyboard shortcuts. This update contains these keyboard shortcut changes on iPhone and iPad:

Command-M (⌘M) no longer toggles the read/unread status of the current article. This is now reserved by iPadOS to minimize the window. Shift-Command-U (⇧⌘U) or an unmodified M key will toggle the read/unread status of the current article.
Command-N (⌘N) creates a new feed subscription. Option-Command-N (⌥⌘N) creates a new window.
Command-I (⌘I) is no longer an alternative keyboard shortcut for the Messages article action on iPhone and iPad. Since article action keyboard shortcuts can be customized, you can still set it as your Messages keyboard shortcut.
There are some changes around keyboard shortcuts that copy links for pasting elsewhere. Command-C (⌘C) will always copy the URL of the currently selected article in an article list or the URL of the currently selected feed in a feed subscription list. Shift-Command-C (⇧⌘C) will always copy the URL of the currently open article or the currently selected article in an article list.

When performing an operation via keyboard shortcut that requires a prompt or confirmation before continuing, that prompt will now be presented as an alert instead of as a menu. Invoking such an operation via a swipe left menu or a context menu will still result in a menu-based prompt.

These changes do not affect Unread for Mac. In some cases they will make Unread’s keyboard shortcuts more consistent across platforms.

Liquid Glass on Mac

Unread adds liquid glass to standard controls on Mac when run on Tahoe (macOS 26). Liquid glass appears in toolbars, in sheets, in the Settings window, and in other standard controls throughout the interface.

An Unread viewer window on Tahoe

Dark, Clear, and Tinted Icon on Mac

Unread’s standard icon now has a dark mode variant and a clear variant on Tahoe. It can also be tinted on Tahoe.

The Dock Icon pane of the Settings window on Mac

Additional Improvements

On Mac, the Add Subscription toolbar item is now in the toolbar by default.
On Mac, you can now search for an article quickly by typing Command-F (⌘F) or choosing Find from the Edit menu.
Mark All Read Below operations are now much faster on iPhone and iPad under some circumstances.
This update incorporates changes that make articles from semianalysis.com look better. These changes will apply to new articles downloaded after installing this update.
This update adds some bug fixes around syncing accounts.

The update is available now from the App Store. If you enjoy using Unread, please consider subscribing to its premium features.