3 min readJul 11, 2026 04:10 PM IST
A new app called HyperTexting aims to make browsing the open web feel more like scrolling through a social media feed. Available on iOS, it transforms websites, blogs, newsletters, and podcasts into a familiar feed-based experience while avoiding the recommendation algorithms that dominate today’s platforms.
Created by tech veteran Caleb Hailey, HyperTexting is built around the idea that people should have more control over how they consume and publish content online. Hailey says he was inspired by the early days of the internet, when users maintained websites and published content on their own domains.
Over time, social media platforms made publishing easier and gradually became the primary destination for sharing information and conversations. HyperTexting attempts to recreate that convenience while retaining the openness of the web. Users can follow websites, news outlets, blogs, newsletters, and podcasts with a single tap, with updates displayed in a continuously scrolling feed similar to Facebook or X.
The app relies on RSS (Really Simple Syndication), a technology that has long powered blogs, podcasts and website updates. Unlike traditional RSS readers, however, HyperTexting hides the technical details behind an interface designed to appeal to mainstream users.
It also encourages users to create and publish content on their own websites rather than posting exclusively on centralised platforms. Users can connect sites built using services such as WordPress, Ghost and other website publishing tools. Posts published on those sites can then appear within HyperTexting’s feed, allowing users to join discussions while retaining ownership of their content.
HyperTexting also features an Explore section that highlights trending topics and content across the web, while an optional Safari extension lets users add websites to their feed while browsing. Hailey says the app is partly a response to growing frustration with algorithm-driven social media and “doom scrolling”. He believes people increasingly want access to information without recommendation engines determining what they should see.
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While RSS remains an important part of the web’s infrastructure, previous attempts to make RSS readers mainstream, including Google’s now-defunct Google Reader, failed to attract everyday users.
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HyperTexting hopes to change that by combining the openness of the web with the familiar design elements of social media, offering a simpler and more user-controlled way to discover and follow content.
