The Commuter
News that reads like a tweet
95 followers
News that reads like a tweet
95 followers
Traditional news apps often feel like work. Long walls of text, tons of popups, ads everywhere. We built The Commuter, a news app that reads like a tweet. The Commuter groups related stories from trusted sources into easy threads. Perfect for your morning commute or coffee break.
The Commuter
I actually relate to the frustration ... opening five tabs just to understand one story is a bit nauseating.
The clean thread format makes sense, especially if someone just wants the core of what happened without all the layout junk.
Two things I’m curious about:
1) How do you make sure the rewrite doesn’t accidentally change tone or meaning, especially on complex topics?
2) And how do you avoid becoming “just another AI summary app” now that most news apps are adding summaries too?
Including original sources is a smart move I think. Trust will probably be the make-or-break here.
Congrats on building something to solve your own pain!
The Commuter
@dkofoed Hey Dustin, thank you for trying out The Commuter! You totally nailed the frustration we were trying to solve.
On your questions:
1. Other than prompting the LLM to preserve the original tone and meaning, we actually have agents - both human and AI, that cross-check the rewrite against the sources to make sure nothing gets distorted. That said, we're still in early days and know the system isn't perfect yet, which is exactly why all the original sources are listed below each thread so you can always fact-check them yourself.
2. Fair point on the crowded space. Here's what we think sets us apart:
- Presentation: We spend a lot of time on UX to make sure the reading experience is comprehensive but not overwhelming, that's the thinking behind the "threads" format, and we're constantly improving it.
- Curation and coverage: A lot of AI news apps are concentrated on the US-politics-tech market. We deliberately include local news from different countries so that wherever you are, you get both global and local stories. We're expanding our city coverage every day with the goal of reaching all major cities worldwide.
We know it's a crowded market, but we believe there's still real demand for a clean, light, and less stressful way to stay informed, and that's what keeps us going.
Thanks again for the thoughtful feedback and questions, Dustin! We listen and act on it, so keep it coming.
Congratulations on the launch! I was excited to check this out, and I think it’s a strong concept with real potential.
What’s Working Well
The onboarding experience is quick and seamless.
The UI feels clean and thoughtfully designed.
Content is easy to read, with good clarity overall.
Additional Feedback
It took me a little time to understand exactly who or what I was looking at in the feed — specifically differentiating between verified or “true” sources and shortened publisher names like “techauntie,” “morecontextgal,” “partyintheusa,” etc.
Some clearer visual distinctions between source types could really improve scannability and trust.
Additionally, stronger visual cues could help users navigate the different news categories (Tech, America, The Commuter, Goallll, etc.). Right now, the screen feels slightly scattered, and a bit more hierarchy or grouping could make the experience feel more intentional and structured.
Overall
I’ll continue using the product because I see real value in it, and I’m especially curious to see how the iOS notifications evolve.
I’m a big fan of the typography and hierarchy in The Wall Street Journal — I’d love to see how you all continue refining this into something equally useful and uniquely your own.
Great start — excited to see where it goes.
The Commuter
@employee_no1 Hey Brian, thanks for the super detailed comment! We'll definitely take your feedback into account and look into how WSJ does it to see how we can incorporate that. Thanks again, and we'll work hard to bring you those improvements soon!
minimalist phone: creating folders
What are the sources of the news? Can I somehow double-check them? Manage them?
The Commuter
@busmark_w_nika Hi Nika! Thanks for checking out The Commuter!
All the sources are attached below the news threads, so you can always fact check them :)
The Commuter
@busmark_w_nika we currently do not have the feature to manage sources just yet, but it’s definitely coming in the next releases!
Is there any language support? I’m a Korean speaker, but I like the app so much that I don’t mind practicing my English while using it. I also love the animation that looks like a train passing by when the app opens. Great job! (P.S. I’m using a translator, so please understand if some parts sound a bit awkward.)
The Commuter
Hey@new_user___039202661743627be1f87f3! Can’t believe I missed out your message for a few days 🥲 Thank you for your kind words and using The Commuter! It means the world to us.
Yes please be assured that our team is working very hard on the multilingual support! We’re figuring out the best way to digest news with different languages and churn out summaries in different languages too.
Stay tuned for that!
Funny coincidence — I launched AIArrive today, an app literally built for commuters! 😄 When I saw 'The Commuter' I
thought we were in the same space, but turns out you're solving the news problem while I'm solving the 'never be late
again' problem. Love the thread-based approach to news though — would actually be a great combo: read your Commuter threads while AIArrive makes sure you leave on time. Upvoted! 🚀"
is it updated daily or when news relase