Reddit separates community posts from interest-based recommendations
Reddit announced a homepage update with separate Following and For You feeds. The Following feed surfaces posts from subreddits users follow, while For You includes recommendations tied to users’ interests.
AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 2 of 4 outletsHow it's made
View timeline · 5 entriesWhat happened
Key facts
- Reddit announced a new homepage feed experience with For You and Following feeds (per The Verge, Engadget, The Times of India).
- The Following feed shows posts from subreddits users follow or have joined (per The Verge, Engadget, The Times of India).
- Reddit says its For You feed includes recommendations related to users’ interests as well as posts from subreddits they follow (per The Verge, Engadget, The Times of India).
- Reddit said the For You feed is intended to help users find relevant communities and conversations they might not otherwise encounter (per Engadget, The Verge, The Times of India).
- Reddit previously announced it would deprecate r/all, which surfaced posts popular across the platform (per The Verge).
- Reddit said it would continue testing ways for users to explore and navigate the app (per Engadget).
The brief
Reddit announced a new homepage feed experience that separates posts from followed communities into a Following feed and offers recommended content through a For You feed. The company’s description of For You includes both posts from subreddits users follow and recommendations related to their interests, while Engadget describes it as a section for algorithmic recommendations.
The two feeds are the central change, with each publication emphasizing a different aspect of how they are organized. The Following feed is designed to surface posts from subreddits users follow or have joined. The For You feed is the recommendation-focused destination.
Reddit said it aims to help users discover relevant communities and conversations they might not otherwise come across; it also described the new feed experience as a first step toward discovery of ideas, connections, perspectives and interests. The app’s opening behavior is also changing.
Engadget reports that it will initially open to For You, then use the feed the person last viewed when they launch the app again. That makes the first launch different from later launches: recommendations appear first, while subsequent openings follow the user’s most recent feed choice. Reddit’s announcement sits alongside an earlier change to the homepage.
The Verge reports that the company had announced it would deprecate r/all, a feed that surfaced posts popular across the platform, as part of efforts it described as simplifying Reddit and improving Home feed personalization.
That context links the new pair of feeds to a shift in the homepage’s available destinations, though the sources do not specify when r/all will be removed. The outlets emphasize different parts of the update rather than reporting conflicting details.
The Verge highlights that For You combines followed-subreddit posts with interest-related recommendations and places the change alongside the planned deprecation of r/all. Engadget focuses on algorithmic recommendations, the app’s launch behavior, and Reddit’s intention to keep experimenting with navigation.
The Times of India headline also identifies the two homepage feeds, but supplies no further detail beyond that point. For users, the practical distinction is between a feed centered on communities they follow and one featuring recommendations. Reddit says the latter is intended to aid discovery, while the app’s subsequent launch behavior will depend on which feed was last used.
Reddit also says it plans to keep experimenting with ways to navigate and explore the app; the sources do not give a schedule for those tests or for the full rollout of the feed changes.
Why it matters
- Reddit users who follow subreddits can use the Following feed to see posts from those communities, while For You presents recommended content.
- The For You feed may bring users to communities and conversations they might not otherwise encounter, according to Reddit’s stated aim.
- The change affects how Reddit users enter the app: it initially opens to For You, then opens to the last-used feed on a later launch.
- Reddit’s planned deprecation of r/all would remove a feed that surfaced posts popular across the platform.
What to watch next
- Whether Reddit changes how the app opens after the initial For You launch, given its stated rule of returning to the last-used feed on a later launch.
- How Reddit’s planned deprecation of r/all proceeds; the sources do not state a removal date.
- What navigation or exploration experiments Reddit introduces next, following its statement that it will continue testing ways to help users explore the app.
How it's being covered
Coverage analysisShow details4 source articles · 4 unique outletsOutlet political mix: Center Only· 3 Center · 1 unratedWhere the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Asia 25% · Other 25%
- Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 3 rated sources); comparatively few Left or Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
How outlets' accounts compare
1 framing difference · 1 uncorroborated claim · 2 information gaps- The Verge emphasizes that For You combines posts from followed subreddits with recommendations tied to users’ interests and connects the update to the planned deprecation of r/all; Engadget foregrounds algorithmic recommendations and the app’s opening behavior.
- Reddit said the For You feed is meant to help users find relevant communities and conversations they might not otherwise encounter.
- The sources do not provide figures for how many users have access to the feeds or how many people use r/all.
- The sources do not establish a full rollout schedule or when Reddit will deprecate r/all.
Timeline
Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.- The underlying structure dates to Reddit’s launch in 2005, when its front page collected links and discussions submitted by users.Background · from our historical context
- Condé Nast acquired Reddit.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- In 2008, Reddit introduced subreddits, allowing users to organize discussions into separate communities and subscribe to those they chose.Background · from our historical context
- Reddit released its official iOS app.Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
- In 2018, Reddit rolled out a major redesign of its website, including a new homepage experience, as it expanded beyond its original text-focused interface.Background · from our historical context
How we got here
The underlying structure dates to Reddit’s launch in 2005, when its front page collected links and discussions submitted by users. In 2008, Reddit introduced subreddits, allowing users to organize discussions into separate communities and subscribe to those they chose.
That created two established routes through the site: browsing communities a user had joined, or discovering content from elsewhere on Reddit. In 2018, Reddit rolled out a major redesign of its website, including a new homepage experience, as it expanded beyond its original text-focused interface.
Original sources
2 of 4 articles · US/Canada · Show allEvery story links to the reporting it was built from. How we choose sources
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