I’ve thought a lot about providing a way to sync Stream feed subscriptions so folks can share them across devices. Makes sense, right?
What not to do 👎
Something I don’t want to do is sync all feed items. It would be burdensome, make the code more complex, and being that RSS was never intended to be centralized it’s a better fit for Stream.
What to do 👍🏼
However, there is something that makes sense to sync: Feed Subscriptions.
I’ve considered using iCloud to do sync but it seems to be more trouble that it’s worth.
I could roll my own but I really hate the notion of requiring a username and password to make it work.
How about using Sign in with Apple? It still requires signing in, but it’s a bit easier. You only need to push a single button and you’re ready to roll.
With that in mind I’d still need to implement my own sync service but it would only be about syncing subscriptions; add, delete, and get should do the trick.
I’d also add bookmarking and the ability to delete your account.
I’m also considering a read status. Yes, that’s right, folks have requested I mark items as read. While this goes against my original goal of Stream, I can see why folks want it. I believe I could easily sync the read status of an article by posting only the unique article ID. That needs more thought and if it proves too difficult to implement, I’d pass on sync, and just do it locally.
Still Thinking 🤔
As you can see, I haven’t finalized my thoughts on the matter. Chances are I’ll settle on something, start implementing it, and change my mind for one reason or another.
I’d you’re a Stream user and have opinions on how it should operate, or would like a feature, please add a request and I’ll check it out.
Your Support 🙏🏼
If you’re using Stream and enjoy it, please consider leaving a tip or drop me a line, rob.fahrni@gmail.com, to let me know you enjoy using it.