Social Web Cloud
News, Chat & Search. Ad-Free
Only for iPhone
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
Most apps are free because you are the product. Social Web is different — and so is the way it's built.
We don't have ads — which means we have no reason to track what you search for, no algorithm deciding what you see, and no company building a profile on who you are. We make money because you pay us a fair price. That's it. That's the whole deal.
Everything in one place. Almost nothing to pay. Built for people, not profit.
Social Web combines private messaging, a news feed, and internet search in one app — built on open internet standards that no single company owns or controls. And here's what makes it different from every other app on this list: your data doesn't live on our servers. It lives on yours.
WHAT YOU GET:
— Private group messaging where messages live on your own server, not ours
— Follow Reddit, YouTube, podcasts, local news, and more in one clean feed
— Search RSS feeds and the open internet without being tracked
— Host your own Social Web server and own everything — your data, your conversations, your archive
— No ads. No algorithm. No data collection. Ever.
— Available for less than a dollar a month — because privacy shouldn't be a luxury
WHY IT'S DIFFERENT:
Every other messaging app, news reader, and search tool you use is making money from your attention and your data. We don't. We built Social Web because we believe the internet was meant to belong to the people using it — not the companies profiting from it.
With Social Web, you can run your own server. Your messages are stored where you decide. No company can delete your account, shut down your archive, or change the terms on you. If Social Web disappeared tomorrow, your data would still be there — readable by any RSS client in the world, because it's built on open standards, not proprietary lock-in.
No ads means no reason to watch you. No algorithm means no one is engineering what you think or feel. No data profiles means you are a person, not a product.
The internet, the way it was meant to be.
License agreement link: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
more - Chat: reaction emojis appear blurry for a second before loading in high resolution
- a tap on the inline YouTube player's title bar leaves the app for Safari
- pricing screen subscription choices sub-screen font is black on dark background
- Group chat picture changes from member profile pictures to "BA" initials when opening the chat
- Conversation avatar: share-to-chat picker and a named 1:1's details hero still differ from the Chats row
- Redeeming an invite to a group on your own server leaves two rows for the same chat
- Chat details: shared Media and Links are empty and greyed out even though photos, videos, and links were sent
- Update app fonts to DM Sans (headlines) and Inter (body and buttons)
- Feeds tab: some sources pull in a profile picture while others don't
- Plugins: controls stay disabled with no reason or retry when the first state load fails
- Feeds tab: opening a photo to view it larger still makes it smaller
- YouTube videos aren't marked as read when played
- YouTube videos don't save playback position
- Feeds search: preview a source's recent posts from the results list
- Feed: opening the app does not refresh the feed; new posts need a manual pull
- Browser tab: move Source Check onto useSourceCheckReader
- Source Check catalog copy names only the Browser tab
- Chat details: controls missing for chats the user joined (only appear for chats they created)
- Source added directly to a stack from Feed search doesn't show in "All" feed or populate from Profile tab
- Feeds tab: "new posts" counter doesn't update and shows the same number for every source
- Chats: search within a chat (created and joined chats)
- Feeds tab: Reddit posts with multiple images only show the first image, in low quality
- Stack-only sources still read as not followed outside the Find Sources rows
- Chat thread: scroll-back treats a short page as the end of history while blocked authors are filtered after the limit
3.4.6 3d ago
- a11y: image viewer close button has no accessibility label
- Browser: other fade Modals still lose taps for ~600 ms after closing
- remaining fade Modals keep the ~460–750 ms tap dead window after closing
- Stale bearer on a fresh install lands on the Terms of Use gate, not sign-in — conduct gate runs before the #262 stale-token probe
- a11y: accent colour used as ink on white — Browser (3 icons) and Feed (1 icon) fail contrast at 1.98:1
- Vault: "Photos & Videos" label not centered under its icon in upload options
- Vault: list view shows placeholder icons instead of image thumbnails
- a11y: five active-state icons/texts still use C.primary as ink via a ternary, which brand-ink-coverage misses
- web export: sign-in against a local instance shows "Unable to connect" although the login POST returns 200
- YouTube thumbnails render blurry/low quality in mobile feed
- Remove redundant Plugins entry from Profile tab
- Chat invite link shows generic error when Chats plugin is uninstalled or turned off
- Reset-password screen: "Contact support" footer is a dead link
- Feeds tab: tapping an article title should open it in the in-app browser
- Chat: send multiple images/files at once and scroll between images in the viewer
- Group chat: remove profile pictures above messages and don't repeat sender name on consecutive messages
- Group chat shows members by the creator's contact names instead of their chosen app names
3.4.5 Sep 28
- fix some messages in group chat couldn't be decrypted on group chat host's desktop app
- Feeds tab: close "X" is invisible when viewing a white image
- Plugins screen: row icons and status text use primary as ink, failing AA at ~1.95:1
- Profile tab: every accent glyph and label uses primary as ink, failing AA at 1.98:1
- Chat: shared links and feeds open outside the app instead of in the native browser
- Tabs button requires double tap when tapped repeatedly in quick succession
- /connect bounce page drops the inviting host, so desktop redeems against the wrong server
- Native notification opens a duplicate chat when the app is in the background with that chat open
- fix Password reset doesn't work
- Feeds tab: pasting an exact feed URL doesn't pull up that feed to follow
- Feeds tab: first tap on a new YouTube video shows a loading spinner then resets, requiring a second tap to play
3.4.4 Sep 24
- change to dark-background app icon (thanks Brandon Stephenson!)
3.4.3 Sep 21
- Add server-side per-conversation read markers for cross-device unread sync
- Feed filter pill bar snaps back to left after tapping a pill
- Placeholder text fails WCAG AA in both schemes
- Dark placeholder and label greys fail WCAG AA
- Fix Terms of Use: Privacy Policy and EULA links are not reachable by screen readers
- Move 'share your stacks' toggle from Browser settings to Stacks tab and Profile tab
- Stack view from Profile tab missing All/Videos/Articles/Saved filter
- Share to chat: keyboard covers message input field
- Share to chat: can't unselect a chat or select multiple chats
- Add loading indicator for AI Answer in Browser tab
- Remove line break above The Vault on Profile tab
- Phone client: consume the cross-device read markers (chat-reads)
- Tab navigation pill doesn't reappear after expanding a post on Feed tab
- bug: creating a stack from search results fails to add the feeds to the stack
- Restructure bottom tab bar to Feed / Browser / Plugins / Profile
3.4.2 Sep 20
- double-tap on a message to bring up reactions
- fix bug - chats are not refreshing
- feed search: narrow broad search terms into a top result + subcategories
- fix "suggest feeds in answers" setting is not respected in Browser tab search
- read/unread toggle leaves faint ghosted overlay on Feed tile after selecting
- chat: "Today" day separator renders below the first message of the day instead of above it
- app layout breaks and becomes unusable with larger system text size enabled
- browser tab incorrectly shows unfollowed YouTube channel as already followed
- selected tab's label and icon fail WCAG AA in light mode
- fix Terms of Use checkbox has no accessibility label or role
3.3.9 Sep 14
- Show real YouTube channel icons instead of default initials placeholder
- Move Vault entry to top of Profile tab
- there's no way to open NYT articles in the Feeds tab
- Feed Saved tab: loading spinner incorrectly shows at bottom of list with items present
- Remove redundant 'Share link' sheet between Share to chat button and chat picker
- Browser tab: remove Subscriptions source-card chunk from search results flow
- In-app Browser dark mode makes some light websites unreadable
- Browser photo feature shows raw backend error even when the request ultimately succeeds
- Sources-on-this-page menu shows plain search results instead of followable source cards
- Remove divider line above the message input bar in chat
- Profile tab: collapsing expanded subscriptions list doesn't scroll back to top
- Use muted icon placeholder colors app-wide
- Initials avatars are unreadable: white text on the pastel palette measures 1.45:1–3.16:1
- 'Add to Feed' needs toggle-off support and smarter feed scoping
- Plugins: Source Check scan
- Browser tab: improve scroll momentum when swiping up/down on web pages
- OPEN TABS dropdown: blank tabs and the add-tab control are all labelled "New tab"
- Profile: rename Subscriptions to Followed Sources, tap a source to filter Feed
- 'Add to Feed' should pre-check feed availability instead of searching after the click
- Browser tab: add swipe-back gesture to exit an opened search result
- Add read/unread indicator and manual toggle for Feed posts, extend grey-out to Browser links
- Edit Stack: 'Save changes' isn't hooked up — changes apply immediately instead of being pending
- Feed tab: screen jumps/snaps when switching from Saved to All/Videos/Articles
- Comments button isn't hooked up — shows errors instead of comments
3.3.8 Sep 8
- fix random notification and brings old chats to the top, even though nobody has sent a message
- fix Following a feed with unrecognized pubDate formats spams the Feed with "just now" items on every refresh
- fix uncapped title heading sizes
3.3.5 Aug 28
- first-time/one-time Pull Down To Refresh Notification
- fix imports RSS items in waves should do it all at once
- bug - app stalled out after creating a new stack and adding feeds to it
- fix tabs can go missing bug on Feed tab
3.3.4 Aug 22
- fix returning to the Feed from an article scrolls the feed to the top
- fix YouTube shorts should be tall (in the feed)
- should be able to upload a photo for my stack icon instead of a color
- fix unclean screen-nav history after signup
- Pill Bar To Disappear When Scrolling
- Sources on browser tab
- Feed position jumps when switching from Videos back to All
- Visual bug on the blank browser tab
- Keyboard not closing properly in chats
- Can't undo an accidental follow while importing subscriptions
- Profile stats pill (Subscriptions / Stacks / Chats) should be tappable
- Find Sources list scrolls intermittently — root Pressable fights the list for the touch
- Feed tab button should scroll to top, then refresh on a second press
- Profile tab icon in the bottom pill should show the user's avatar
- Browser empty state should hide entirely when the keyboard opens
- Add browser and search results to a stack, not just the main feed
- Creator cards should show when a feed is in a stack
3.3.2 Aug 20
- pre-signup "hosting choice" onboarding
3.2.8 Aug 13
- fix reactions not working on remote chats
- fix searching for RSS feed sources failed
- fix Browser Search Result Error
- fix Browser Tab Location Search Error
- new onboarding design
3.2.7 Aug 11
- fix insufficient authentication scopes error on youtube onboarding import
- fix missing images on chats tab
- fix missing subscription titles
- remove extra close button on the onboarding screen after signup
- clicking an image in the feed should open the article
- creating a new stack - no results found when searching for feeds to follow
3.2.3 Aug 1
[x] bug - can't upload media in chat / error - can't render media in chat
[x] on Profile tab - should show two or three lines of my subscriptions with expand/collapse
[x] New Design Browser Tab
[x] varying group chat titles among two guests
[x] New Design Chats Tab
[x] New Design Feeds Tab
[x] New Design Profile Tab
3.2.2 Jul 31
- clean up new light mode theme - still has some dark mode elements
- when playing video - if you click in the black, should pull up video player controls
- can't flip video sideways
- search results on Browser tab should have a "Subscriptions" section with followable RSS feeds
- searching for "OPB" doesn't return opb.org RSS feeds
- on RSS feed search - doesn't return many results for "Yahoo Finance"
- in chat, keyboard overlaps input box
- followed an X feed and when clicking on items it goes to a full screen X web page that you can't click out of
- on profile tab show only the first subscriptions with a "show more" button - and a search bar pops up after you click show more
- reddit posts in feed are truncated - and they need a new more/less reveal button
- change three share buttons on feeds tab to a single share button
- flickering feed when switching to Images media type in feed tab
- Unable to scroll on Find Sources page while in account creation process
- when searching for RSS feeds - allows me to re-subscribe and does not show already-subscribed feeds as subscribed
- feeds tab shows items from my stack subscriptions - v2 did not show them
- on aiSummary - doesn't stream anymore - awkward delay and then pops in
- when you go to Your Feed -> See all Stacks -> create new stack - > funky left right jittery animation when opening that screen
- rss search results - missing photo for each search result
- when ai summary renders, have it show only the first one or two lines of text
- when clicking share button on feeds tab - un-smooth animation when opening share screen
- no way to edit stack color or name
- detect partially logged-in state and log the user out automatically
- missing profile images of friend or friends -- conversation list and chat interface header
- on Profile tab - drop search for feeds and show list of stacks instead - can edit/add stacks
- on rss feed search results - should allow me to see all of the sources for a given result and which are subscribed/not subscribed
- app breaks when people use oversized fonts on their phone
- when I'm in the browser tab - notify me in the SW app if I have a new message or group chat invite
- enable incognito mode for browser/youtube sessions to prevent cookies from tracking you
- missing autocompletes on browser tab, feeds tab and profile tab search inputs
- on YouTube video - make the description expandable/retractable beneath the video
- when searching by location, option to see search results on a map
- Add photos/ set an emoji as the groupchat icon/ photo
- search results don't include tiktok
3.2.0 Jul 27
- Autofill password during signup deletes your birth date field
- can't edit chat members list
- Native Youtube Video Formating
- Change Name In Settings Tab ChangesThe Color Of Avatar
- Blank Chat Screen
- Adding A Subscription To Stack From Feeds Tab
- Muted words not working
- Sharing Video From Feed
- can't paste a gif into chat tab - from Tenor or Giphy apps - option to paste does not appear
3.1.6 Jul 20
- fix when user joins chat by clicking SMS link - can't click Back button in chat
3.1.4 Jul 16
- fix can't decode group chat messages
3.1.3 Jul 15
- unwanted page transition animation occurs when app launches
- in group chats, messages don't have any dates, only times
- can't close keyboard by swiping or clicking outside of it
- on add contacts screen - add messaging "we only add the people you pick"
- fix ui bug when switching to Profile tab - vertical flicker
- fix when I choose photos or videos to upload - show them all together not separately
- fix could not open picker error after video-upload & cancel-upload
- fix new tabs button on browser tab is too large
- fix on browser tab - turn-off-ai-search popup has weird transparent screen above - remove that
- fix on feeds tab, new options screen has the weird partially transparent screen above it
- fix some items in the feeds tab contain encoded content that is not rendering
- fix doesn't cancel partially-typed RSS feed searches
- add images section to browser tab search results
- bug fixes for can't enter group chat
3.1.1 Jul 14
- fix can't add more contacts if I've limited my selection
- bug - list of group chats on chats tab is not sorted by time
- messages out of order after leaving/re-entering chat
- can't copy and paste in chat
- Location Services resets to off on full app close
- fix page transition animation on profile tab/account settings
- fix screen jumps when you close the account-settings sub page
- bug when sharing a post to chat - error about chat group status
3.0.9 Jul 11
- remove "share invite link" from invites-sent screen
- browser tabs management screen - floats too high on screen
- zooming in on images won't let you scroll left or right
- vertical video doesn't fill height of screen
- when filtering on media types "Images" selection pulls in YouTube videos
- playing YouTube videos should be one click not two
- playing YouTube videos should be one click not two
- group chat - cant see or play back photos or videos
- group chat - cant upload photos or videos
- vertical video doesn't fill height of screen
- missing names on posts in group chat
- opening group chat error: waiting for the group to add this device
- fix message-sort-order bug in group chat
- new user interface for create-group-chat / choose contacts
- new e2ee toggle on profile -> account settings
- new user interface for youtube/stacks/feeds onboarding
- new design for browser tab search results share-link
- fix bug - can't share link into group chat
3.0.7 Jul 8
- new design for search tab
- fix bad vertical position on create group chat screen
- feeds tab doesn't refresh
- viewing videos and photos not working for remote chat users
- can't play back videos
- missing names on local group chat
- can't upload photo/video - remote chat users
- chat message count bug on conversation list
- fails to send chat-invite if user accepted an invite before
- ai-summary follow-up question missing context of search
- ai in chat doesn't "remember" prior prompts and responses
- add tabbed browsing and tab management to browser tab
- new settings page on feeds tab for youtube shorts and muted words
- fix doesn't stay logged in
- new create-group-chat option for end to end encrypted chat
3.0.5 Jun 28
- fix square icon on splash screen
- enable over the air updates
- fix doesn't stay logged in
- add pull down to refresh on feeds tab
- show all contacts even if their phone #s conflict
- enable native notifications
3.0.1 Jun 18
Updated design
3.0.0 Jun 16
- feature - add EAS update for minor app updates
- bug - group member count shows the wrong number of group members (thanks Cade Nelson)
- bug - if user allows limited contacts, can't revise selection (thanks Jim Ringelberg)
2.7.3 Apr 1
- Chat: reaction emojis appear blurry for a second before loading in high resolution
- a tap on the inline YouTube player's title bar leaves the app for Safari
- pricing screen subscription choices sub-screen font is black on dark background
- Group chat picture changes from member profile pictures to "BA" initials when opening the chat
- Conversation avatar: share-to-chat picker and a named 1:1's details hero still differ from the Chats row
- Redeeming an invite to a group on your own server leaves two rows for the same chat
- Chat details: shared Media and Links are empty and greyed out even though photos, videos, and links were sent
- Update app fonts to DM Sans (headlines) and Inter (body and buttons)
- Feeds tab: some sources pull in a profile picture while others don't
- Plugins: controls stay disabled with no reason or retry when the first state load fails
- Feeds tab: opening a photo to view it larger still makes it smaller
- YouTube videos aren't marked as read when played
- YouTube videos don't save playback position
- Feeds search: preview a source's recent posts from the results list
- Feed: opening the app does not refresh the feed; new posts need a manual pull
- Browser tab: move Source Check onto useSourceCheckReader
- Source Check catalog copy names only the Browser tab
- Chat details: controls missing for chats the user joined (only appear for chats they created)
- Source added directly to a stack from Feed search doesn't show in "All" feed or populate from Profile tab
- Feeds tab: "new posts" counter doesn't update and shows the same number for every source
- Chats: search within a chat (created and joined chats)
- Feeds tab: Reddit posts with multiple images only show the first image, in low quality
- Stack-only sources still read as not followed outside the Find Sources rows
- Chat thread: scroll-back treats a short page as the end of history while blocked authors are filtered after the limit
more Version 3.4.6 3d ago
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.