A new app called Tapestry that promises to unify social media, news, and RSS in one place is nearing completion. Designed by Iconfactory, the same team that created Twitterific, a third-party Twitter client at the time, Tapestry was introduced this year as a tool to better organize today's fragmented online media and allow users to keep track of their favorite blogs. It was announced first. News sites and social networks all in one app. The company released an update on Tapestry's progress this week, saying it plans to officially launch the app to the public in “early 2025.”
“Obviously the sooner the better, but there's still some important work to do and some bugs to fix,” says an update on the project's Patreon page.
Instead of raising money from outside investors, Iconfactory is crowdfunding Tapestry's development. To date, more than 3,360 backers have pledged more than $177,800 to make the app a reality.
This app will appeal to people who are tired of opening new browser tabs and switching between apps to keep using multiple sites, blogs, and social media services. It also capitalizes on user frustration with too many Twitter clones.
After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter (now called Interest in such services is growing explosively. The same protocol that powers Mastodon. (Other smaller apps such as T2/Pebble, Post, and Cohost have since been shut down.)
App developers believe that these experiments in a more open social web could result in new user experiences designed to browse these different services.
Just this week, Flipboard announced its own take on what a browser for the open web should be, releasing an app called Surf that lets you track RSS, Bluesky, and Mastodon content in one app.
The company isn't alone in thinking about this.
In addition to Iconfactory, Silvio Rizzi, developer of the popular Mac and iOS newsreader Reeder, has reinvented the app to go beyond RSS to include support for other social services such as Mastodon, Bluesky, YouTube, and Reddit. did. Another indie app called Feeeed also expanded this year to allow users to track RSS, newsletters, Mastodon, Tumblr, Reddit, and more. And this week, Feeeed also added support for Bluesky. Additionally, an app called Openvibe lets you browse Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads in one place.
Despite having similar prerequisites, each app offers a different user interface and experience. Reeder looks and feels a lot like an RSS reader, but other users find it more similar to their own social experience.
Tapestry is interesting in that it tries to straddle both worlds, allowing users to track their favorite websites and blogs and import RSS feeds in bulk via OPML files while connecting to a variety of social sources. You can also do this. Currently, the beta version of the app supports Mastodon and Bluesky, as well as webcomics, social apps like Reddit, Tumblr, YouTube, and even weather and earthquake warning sources. Event X is still commonly used for tracking.
But Tapestry does more than just cram everything into one interface. Its real strength is that users can create their own custom feeds (or “timelines”) and include sources like social sites, websites, blogs, podcasts, and more. You can also use tools like “mute” and “mute”, borrowed from Twitterific, to completely block posts containing certain keywords, or to collapse (silence) them when viewed.
There are many other customization tools that will appeal to power users who like to create feeds.
However, one confusing thing about the current build is that Tapestry splits sources (such as RSS feeds and social apps) into two sections called “feeds” and “connectors.” The former is for filling your timeline with content, and the latter is for creating other feeds. Enter data into the timeline. Some services, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, will appear in both sections when you add them. I'd like a unified section just called “Sources”.
Still, it's easy to see how you can use Tapestry to check multiple social services, along with breaking news and new posts from your favorite sources, instead of browsing X.
Iconfactory has not yet announced an exact release date for Tapestry, but the app plans to generate revenue through monthly and annual subscriptions.