Unread 2.5 sees the RSS reader go free for the first time

Unread RSS Reader on iPad (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Unread 2.5 is now free with additional features available via a subscription.

RSS reader Unread 2.5 is now available and it bringing a new monetization model. For the first time, Unread is available for free with no limits on the number of items that can be ready. You can, in theory, use Unread for free forever.

But you shouldn't, because you can get your hands on so much more by paying the $19.99 annual subscription fee. Being able to customize your Unread Home screen widgets is worth the price of admission alone, not least the custom app icons that match the various themes also available in the app.

The full list of features behind the premium subscription includes:

Widget Customization: Limit articles or unread article counts shown by widgets to specific feeds or folders.Article Actions: Quickly send articles to supported bookmarking and read later services. Share articles via email or iMessage.Caching: Cache webpage text and images ahead of time.Custom App Icons: Unread offers one app icon option corresponding to each theme.Premium Support: Paying customers get priority customer support.

The update does of course include other improvements including a ton of fixes across the app. One of those includes the ability to open the default iOS email app when composing an email from inside Unread.

You can download Unread 2.5 for iPhone and iPad from the App Store right now. Again, it's free with an in-app purchase available for the premium subscription.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.