Browsers removed the RSS Button and they should bring it back

Browsers once had a built-in RSS button () that was shown prominently in the browser's location bar to help users discover when a website had an RSS feed available. When navigating to any web page, it would auto-detect whether there was an RSS feed available, using a concept called auto-discovery. And clicking the button would simply to take you to the website's RSS feed.

But, as you'll see below, browser vendors have decided to remove this feature, which has since limited RSS exposure and cut off the ability to easily discover new RSS feeds.

In the early days of Mozilla's Firefox browser, the browser came with an RSS button. If the website you visited had an RSS feed available, the button would have a big orange glow and clicking it would take you to its RSS feed. If there was no RSS feed for the web page, the icon would be greyed out.

But the company removed it in 2011, claiming that it wasn't very popular. Users against this decision were very vocal and even created a petition to bring it back, but it received no response from Mozilla.

Apple's Safari browser, first released in January 2003, once showed an RSS "Reader" button in the address bar for any web page that had an RSS feed available. Clicking that button opened the RSS feed in your chosen feed reader application or Safari by default.

Unfortunately, sometime around July 2012, the feature disappeared with no explanation from Apple on why it was removed. And despite many complaints and requests to bring it back, Apple refuses to restore it.

Ironically, Apple seems to have tried adding a Shared Links feature that had similar RSS subscription functionality as the Reader button. But then later decided to pull that as well during a Safari auto-update.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer (which has since been deprecated in favor of the newer Microsoft Edge browser) once had an RSS subscribe button that displayed prominently when visiting a website that had an RSS feed.

After clicking the RSS button, it even showed you a helpful page allowing you to subscribe and manage the feed, all without leaving the browser.

Over time, somehow the button got removed without warning.

Google once had a built-in RSS button in the Google Chrome browser and in the source code of Chromium, the browser from which it's based.

However, the company has since removed the feature from the browser and no reason was given for its removal.

If you want the built-in RSS button back in your browser, many browser vendors will recommend using a third-party browser extension to replicate the functionality.

But browser extensions don't help much with RSS adoption. Potential new RSS users or those who may already assume websites just don't have RSS feeds anymore are unlikely to go looking for a browser extension.

In addition, browser extensions make your browser less secure, invade your privacy, and slow down your browser. And many extensions aren't actively maintained, so they can fall out-of-date and suddenly stop working.

After considering alternatives, nothing beats a simple, unobtrusive button that our browsers once had. It was much more helpful and convenient being built directly into the browser, rather than having to deal with browser extensions, configuring obscure settings, or relying on hacky workarounds. We hope that browser vendors will reconsider and make the RSS button available again some day, which would greatly increase discoverability and the use of RSS feeds.