The Lede
Support
How can we help?
The Lede saves an article, has it read closely, unburies the real story, files it by beat, and writes the strongest honest case the piece can make. Here's the practical stuff.
Need a person? Email support@theledeapp.com. We're a small shop. Expect a reply within a couple of days.
1The basics
What is The Lede?
A read-later app for iPhone and iPad with a research desk behind it. Save an article from anywhere; The Lede reads the whole piece, unburies what it's actually about, renames it plainly, files it by beat, and writes a short brief: the strongest honest case the piece makes. You're the editor. The Lede is your research desk.
What's a "brief"?
What the desk hands back for every article you save: a plain rename of the piece by its real argument, a beat (the topic desk it's filed under), and a few sentences making the strongest honest version of the case the article is arguing. Briefs are also the unit your free monthly allowance counts.
Why did my saved article come back with a different name?
Because the headline you clicked and the story underneath it aren't always the same thing. The Lede reads the whole piece and renames it for what it's actually about, so your queue reads like what you saved, not like what got you to click. It never touches the original: every renamed story carries a "RAN AS" line showing the real headline, exactly as it ran. Nothing is swapped behind your back; you can always see both.
What's Dig Deeper?
Ask for one on anything you save, and the desk goes back out. It reads the reporting and research around the piece, sets out what others found and where it lands, and lists every source it wrote from, each a link to the original. Under the sources it says plainly that it can get one wrong and asks you to check the ones that matter to you. There’s a row to report a problem. It works in the background and lets you know when it’s ready. Dig Deeper comes with Membership, and 2 a month are free so you can see what it does.
↑ Contents2Saving articles
How do I save an article?
From Safari or almost any app: tap Share, then choose The Lede. The article uploads in the background and the brief lands in your queue when it's ready. Usually that's quick, and it keeps working even if you leave the app.
I can't find the Share button. Where is it?
Look for the share icon: a square with an arrow pointing up. In Safari, tap Share at the bottom of the screen. If you don't see it, Safari is using its compact layout: on iOS 27, tap the button to the left of the web address, then Share; on iOS 26, tap ⋯, then Share. To keep Share one tap away, choose Bottom or Top under Tabs in Settings › Apps › Safari. Other apps move it around: some put it at the top of the story, some only show it when you press and hold a link, and a few (Substack among them) tuck it behind their own menus. Wherever an app hides it, the destination is the same: find the share icon or the word Share, then choose The Lede. And if an app truly won't share an article, open the story in Safari and share from there. That route works almost everywhere, and it's the strongest one anyway: the desk reads the page in your own signed-in session.
Is The Lede just a Safari extension?
No. The Lede is an app you save to from the share sheet, so it works from almost any app with a Share button: Safari, Chrome, Apple News, Stocks, and most news apps. Safari does one thing the others can't: it hands The Lede the page exactly as you see it, signed in to any site you subscribe to. From other apps, The Lede gets the link and reads the public page itself. The next answer explains why.
Why does The Lede work best from Safari?
Because of what gets handed over when you tap Share. Safari lets an app read the page you're looking at, right there, exactly as it's on your screen: signed in if you're signed in, past the paywall if you're past it. So a save from Safari carries the whole article with it, and the desk reads exactly what you can read. Every other app, Chrome and Apple News included, hands over the link and nothing else. The desk then fetches the page itself, which works on any open article and stops at anything that wants a signed-in reader. That's an Apple rule, not a choice we made: Safari is the only app on iPhone that lets a share extension read the page. You don't have to change how you read. Save from wherever you are, and if a story can't be reached from the link alone, the card tells you and offers to open it in a Safari window inside The Lede, where you sign in once and share it back. For anything you pay for, sharing from Safari the first time skips that step.
Can I save from Chrome, Apple News, or other apps?
Yes, from almost any app with a Share button: other browsers, Apple News, Stocks, and most news apps. From those, The Lede gets the link and reads the public page itself. Safari adds one thing: it hands over the page exactly as you see it, signed in and all, so it's the way in for anything behind a login. If a page can't be read from the link alone, the save is still kept and a card tells you how to finish it (see the locked-door question below). Two apps have wrinkles of their own: Reddit, explained next, and Apple News, just after it.
Why do Reddit links only work from Safari?
Because Reddit blocks everyone else, and that's worth being straight about: it's a Reddit problem, not a bug in The Lede. Share a Reddit thread from the Reddit app and The Lede tells you right there, then points you to the step that works. Open the thread in Safari and share it from there, and the desk reads it in your own signed-in session like any other site.
Reddit no longer lets outside tools read its pages, apart from one search engine it struck a deal with. We tested every honest route and they are all shut. The dishonest ones do exist: pretend to be a browser we aren't, pull the page out of an archive mirror, buy it from a company that scrapes on our behalf. We don't do those here or anywhere else. A page you can read should be readable by the tools you choose to read it with, and when a site breaks that rule, the fix isn't for us to cheat our way back in. So this stays broken from the Reddit app, and honest from Safari.
Can I save from Apple News or Stocks?
Yes, and most stories just work. An Apple News link points to the publisher's own website, so The Lede follows it there and reads the story on the web. Two kinds of story don't come through. Some Apple News+ stories are only in Apple News, with no web page for the desk to read. Those land as a card that says "Couldn't load." Sharing again won't change that. Other stories you can read in Apple News through News+ sit behind the publisher's paywall on the web. News+ doesn't sign you in to the publisher's own site, so the desk can't reach them, and the card says so. If you subscribe to that publisher directly, open the story in Safari, sign in, and share it from there. Now and then the desk can't work out where an Apple News link leads, and that looks like the first case. If you can find the story on the publisher's site, share it from Safari. If it still won't save, tap the card, then Email the desk about this article. Stocks works the same way, since its stories come from Apple News.
I subscribe to a publication. Can I save its articles?
Yes. Share them from Safari, where you're already signed in. The desk reads the page in your own logged-in session, so it reads exactly what you can read: nothing more, nothing bypassed. If a story can't be reached that way, The Lede tells you and keeps the save.
Can I save with Shortcuts or Siri?
Yes, with one limit worth knowing. The Shortcuts app has a Save to The Lede action, and Siri and Spotlight offer it too. It sends a link to the desk, exactly like Paste a link in the app, and on the free edition it counts toward the month's briefs like any save. The limit: the desk opens the link on its own, so it can only read what anyone can. For a paywalled page or a site you're signed in to, share from Safari instead. Reddit threads need Safari too. The other Shortcuts actions are under Which Shortcuts actions does The Lede have?
A card says "Couldn't get in" or "Locked door." What do I do?
The desk couldn't get into the article on its own: usually a site that wants a signed-in reader, or a link shared from outside Safari. Tap the card, then Open in Safari. The story opens in a Safari window inside The Lede. The first time you open a site there, sign in: your saved password fills in, and The Lede remembers you after that. Tap Share and send it back to The Lede, then read on if you like. The desk reads exactly what you can read, and the save stays in your queue either way. Read it in Apple News through News+? That doesn't sign you in to the publisher's site; the Apple News answer above explains.
A card says "Couldn't read it." What do I do?
The desk reached the page but couldn't pull the article's text out of it. That's usually about how the page is built, not about a login. Tap the card, then Open in Safari, and share the story back to The Lede from there. Safari hands the desk the page as it appears on your screen, which is the best chance of getting it. The save stays in your queue either way. If a site keeps failing, tap the card, then Email the desk about this article.
A brief didn't show up. Where is it?
Uploads finish in the background, so a brief can land a moment after you've moved on. Check your connection and reopen The Lede; anything waiting will finish. If a save genuinely failed, it shows as a card that says so, never silence.
↑ Contents3Your queue, briefs & reading
Where are my saved articles?
In your queue, read or unread: nothing moves on its own. Swipe a story to archive it when you're done, and the section line at the top of the queue switches between Queue, Bookmarked, and Archive. Nothing is deleted unless you delete it.
What are beats?
The desks your stories are filed under: politics, technology, science, business, culture, world, design, health. The Lede files each save by what it's about, so your library reads like sections, not a pile.
Can I read the original article?
Always. The original is saved with the brief and rendered cleanly for reading, and there's a link to the source. The brief sits above the article, never instead of it.
Can I highlight and take notes?
Yes. Select text in a brief or a Dig Deeper read and highlight it, with a note if you want. Your highlights live in their own collection and sync with everything else.
You can also export them, as Markdown or plain text, to Notes, Files, Mail, or any app that takes text. Export one article's highlights by choosing Export in the reader's menu, or all of them with Export highlights, on the Highlights tab or in The Lede's Settings under Exports. Each export carries the headline, the desk's rename, and the link.
Can I share a brief or send it to my notes app?
You can share the rename: a short text pairing the headline the piece ran under with what it's really about, through the standard share sheet. The full brief stays in the app. If Obsidian is installed, a Send to Obsidian action appears in the reader's menu and exports the brief as Markdown for personal use. Other notes apps aren't wired up yet.
Can I read an article on my e-reader?
Yes. In an article, open the reader's menu and choose Export. Under Read it on your e-reader, choose Save as an EPUB. EPUB is the file format e-readers open. The EPUB carries the desk's read, the article as you saved it, any Dig Deeper and highlights you have, and the link to the original. Save it to Files or Books, or to the Dropbox folder your e-reader syncs. For a Kindle, use Send to Kindle, explained next.
The EPUB is your saved copy, for your own reading. The article belongs to its publisher, and the file says so. The desk's sections are labeled as the desk's, so they never read as the author's. If an article was saved without its text, the EPUB carries the desk's work and the link. Exports are built on your iPhone or iPad and make no network call: nothing in one goes to the desk or to us.
How does Send to Kindle work?
You save your Kindle once. After that, Send to Kindle opens Mail with the EPUB attached and addressed to your Kindle, and you tap Send. The Lede never sends mail by itself.
First, on Amazon, once. Find your Kindle address: go to Manage Your Content and Devices, then Preferences, then Personal Document Settings. Each Kindle and Kindle app has its own. Then approve the address you send from: on the same page, under Approved Personal Document Email List, check that it's there, or choose Add a new e-mail address. Amazon only delivers mail from addresses on your approved list. The first time you tap Send to Kindle, The Lede asks for a name and the Kindle address, saves them, and opens Mail.
Saved more than one Kindle? Send to Kindle asks which. Add, edit, or remove them under Your Kindles, on the export screen or in The Lede's Settings under Exports. Your saved Kindles sync across your devices through your own iCloud and never reach us. If Mail isn't set up, Send to Kindle opens the share sheet instead: choose the app you send email with and send the EPUB to your Kindle address, which The Lede can copy for you.
If it doesn't arrive, look for an email from Amazon asking you to confirm the send, and make sure the address you sent from is on your approved list.
Kindle is a trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. The Lede isn't affiliated with Amazon.
Can I read my whole unread queue on my e-reader?
Yes, as one EPUB. In The Lede's Settings, under Exports, choose Read your unread queue on your e-reader. It gathers every unread article in your queue that has a brief or saved text, filed by beat, and offers the same two routes: Save as an EPUB or Send to Kindle.
Which Shortcuts actions does The Lede have?
Three, in the Shortcuts app and in Siri and Spotlight. They run only when your iPhone or iPad is unlocked.
Save to The Lede sends a link to the desk. It reads only what anyone can, so share paywalled pages from Safari; Can I save with Shortcuts or Siri? explains.
Get Latest Briefs returns your most recent briefs, newest first. Each one carries its lede, the headline it ran as, the publication, its beat, its link, the date you saved it, and the desk's read. Choose a beat to get only that beat, or include your archive. It never returns the article's text. Articles still waiting on the desk, and saves past the free allowance, are left out.
Open Article opens an article in The Lede, the same as tapping its card.
↑ Contents4Free & paid plans
What's free?
Your first 10 briefs every month: no account, no card, no trial clock. Two Dig Deepers a month are free as well, so you can see the desk at full stretch before deciding anything. Both refresh on the 1st.
What happens if I save more than 10 articles in a month?
Every save is kept: nothing is ever lost or turned away. Past 10, a save stays buried: filed in your queue, original readable, but its brief withheld. Upgrade any time and the desk goes back and unburies everything you've saved.
What are the paid plans?
One: Membership, $9.99 a month with a 7-day free trial. The desk reads it all, and you get 150 Dig Deepers a month. The yearly plan is $99.99, with the same 150 Dig Deepers a month. If demand spikes, new briefs can take a little longer; this rarely affects everyday reading.
How does the free trial work?
Membership starts with 7 days free, and the trial is the full product: the desk reads it all, and the full 150 Dig Deepers a month, from the first minute. When the trial ends it automatically becomes a paid subscription at $9.99 a month, or $99.99 a year if you chose the yearly plan, unless you cancel first, in which case you pay nothing. You can cancel any time in Settings → your name → Subscriptions.
How do I subscribe, change plans, or cancel?
Everything runs through Apple. Subscribe, or switch between monthly and yearly billing, inside the app; manage or cancel any time in Settings → your name → Subscriptions → The Lede on your iPhone. The Lede never sees your card; Apple handles all of it.
I subscribed but the app still treats me as free.
Tap Restore Purchases on the subscription screen; that also brings an active subscription to a new iPhone. If it still doesn't take, email support@theledeapp.com with the purchase date and we'll sort it out.
Is there a limit on how much the desk reads?
One, and it sits far past everyday reading: each device has a monthly ceiling on how much reading the desk will do for it, whatever the plan. If a device reaches it, every save is still kept and the originals stay readable, but new briefs stop for that device and resume on the 1st. This is separate from Membership's 150 Dig Deepers, which are a shared monthly allowance across all your devices.
Can the allowances change?
As the product evolves, what the free tier includes and what Membership includes can change. One floor doesn't move: for a subscription term you have already paid for, we will not reduce a metered allowance below what was advertised when you purchased that term. Buy a year with 150 Dig Deepers a month, and that year keeps at least 150 a month, whatever changes later.
Are exports free?
Yes, on the free edition and with Membership, and making one doesn't use a brief or a Dig Deeper. An export packages only what you already have in The Lede. A save past the free allowance exports exactly what the reader screen shows: the article under its original headline, without a brief. Nothing in an export is a way around the free allowance.
↑ Contents5Privacy & your data
Do I need an account? What do you collect?
No account: no name, no password, and the app never asks for your email, apart from a Kindle address you choose to save for Send to Kindle, which stays on your devices and in your own iCloud. Your library lives in your own iCloud. We collect a small amount of usage data, keyed to a random per-device identifier rather than your name, to run the service and set fair pricing. No ads, no third-party trackers, nothing sold. The exact details are in the Privacy Policy.
What happens to an article's text when I save it?
It's sent to our server just long enough to write the brief: passed to our AI provider, Anthropic, where our contract bars model training on your text, and which deletes the text within 30 days unless it flags a piece for safety review or the law requires a longer hold. We never store it ourselves. What we keep is limited and self-deleting: a short, one-way fingerprint of the text so the same article isn't processed twice, the brief itself for a brief window, and a hash of the article's web address, never the address itself and never its text. We don't keep the raw address. It goes to Anthropic when you ask for a "Dig Deeper" or when the piece is opinion or commentary, and otherwise passes only briefly through our host's operational logs. The Privacy Policy has the binding detail, including every provider involved.
Do you keep a record of what I read?
Not a readable list of the specific articles you read. Your saved articles, briefs, and highlights live in your own iCloud, never on our servers. To run the service we keep limited usage signals (tied to a random per-device identifier, never your name), such as a story's publication and a keyed fingerprint of its address (a one-way code we can't reverse without a secret we hold). We don't store the web addresses themselves. The Privacy Policy spells out exactly what's retained.
Can I delete my data?
Yes. Deleting the app and its iCloud data removes your library. Email support@theledeapp.com and we'll delete the usage records tied to your device. We may keep one Apple-issued transaction identifier tied to a recent subscription where we need it to handle refunds and billing disputes; it carries no name or payment details. Full detail in the Privacy Policy.
↑ Contents6Sources & standards
Does The Lede block or favor certain outlets?
No outlet is blocked, filtered, or down-ranked for who it is. The desk holds one editorial standard: steel-man everything, applied to every source the same way. The full standard is written down in How The Lede sources.
What happens when I save an opinion piece?
The desk briefs the argument at its strongest, like anything else. When a brief needs the underlying reporting (what actually happened, beyond the columnist's account), it reads from solid accounts of the same events and says so in the brief. Nothing is swapped silently, and it works the same for every outlet's opinion pages alike.
Is it politically biased?
Its job is the opposite of a take: make the strongest honest case for what you saved, whatever its viewpoint. There's no list of approved or banned outlets; there's a standard, published for anyone to read at How The Lede sources.
↑ Contents7Devices & sync
What does The Lede run on?
iPhone and iPad. Built for the phone in your hand, where the reading actually happens, and on iPad it's a real iPad app, not a stretched-out iPhone layout.
Does it sync?
Your library (articles, briefs, highlights) lives in your iCloud and follows your Apple Account. Kindles you save for Send to Kindle sync the same way. Delete the app and reinstall, and your library comes back.
Which e-readers work with The Lede?
Kindle, through Send to Kindle. Any other e-reader that opens EPUB files works through Save as an EPUB: save the file to Files, or to the Dropbox folder your e-reader syncs, and open it there. Books on your iPhone or iPad opens it too.
Is there an Android or web version?
No. The Lede is an iPhone and iPad app.
↑ Contents8Accessibility
Something doesn't work with my setup. How do I tell you?
Email support@theledeapp.com and mention what you were using: VoiceOver, Switch Control, larger text, a braille display, anything. That detail is what lets us reproduce the problem and fix it.
↑ Contents9When something goes wrong
A save failed or a card says "Couldn't load." What now?
The save is kept either way: a failed read shows as a card that says what went wrong, and tapping the card shows what to try. "Couldn't load" means the desk couldn't open the page at all. The site may have been down or busy, or the link may not lead to an article. Share it again, from Safari if you can. If a save still won't work, tap the card, then Email the desk about this article. The email arrives with the link and what the card said already filled in; add what happened and send it. A person reads every one, and fixing sources is ongoing desk work.
My Dig Deeper said it couldn’t reach the desk. What happened?
In this version, that message can be wrong. Sometimes the desk read the sources, but too little of what it wrote held up against them, so it brought nothing back. Try again in about ten minutes. The next update will say this plainly.
How do I reach a human?
support@theledeapp.com. We're a small shop; we aim to reply within a couple of days. If it's about one article that won't save, write from the card instead: tap the card, then Email the desk about this article, and the link comes with it.
↑ Contents