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Life & fun · May 22, 2023

I made an iOS HN app to navigate large threads without getting lost

I was struggling with navigating HN discussions using existing solutions, so I decided to implement a completely different approach, think of it as depth-first reading vs breadth-first reading. Visually it looks like swipeable stacks of comments and it offers several advantages over traditional interfaces: - Comment width doesn't get narrower no matter how deep in the comment tree you are - You always see the parent of the comment you're currently reading - Swiping allows you to move in and out of subtrees with animated transitions that you fully control - You can easily skip subtrees that…

I made an iOS HN app to navigate large threads without getting lost launched on May 22, 2023 with 94 votes, #604 of 4,910 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 3 years on.

Visit apps.apple.com ↗Alternativestop 12% of May 2023

In plain words

This iOS app helps users navigate Hacker News discussion threads using a swipeable stack interface instead of traditional nested comments. Rather than reading breadth-first, it enables depth-first exploration where comment width remains constant at any nesting level and parent comments stay visible. Users can swipe to move through subtrees with animated transitions and scroll to skip uninteresting branches. The app includes custom boards, search, in-thread search, anchors, and a reading list, designed to maintain context and reduce disorientation in long discussions.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

Download Hacko for Hacker News by Andrii Sievrikov on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Hacko for Hacker News.

App doesn’t work anymore. Nothing loads at all and spinner just spins. Tried clearing cache and uninstalling and reinstalling app. Disappointed I paid for this.Update 6/5/24 - Developer quickly fixed the issue with the app and responded with the feedback. Kudos for listening to feedback and updating. Updating to 5. Thanks! App doesn’t work anymore. Nothing loads at all and spinner just spins. Tried clearing cache and uninstalling and reinstalling app. Disappointed I paid for this.Update 6/5/24 - Developer quickly fixed the issue with the app and responded with the feedback. Kudos for listening to feedback and updating. Updating to 5. Thanks! Best HN client for iOS I’ve used. App name…from apps.apple.com

In the maker’s words, at launch

I was struggling with navigating HN discussions using existing solutions, so I decided to implement a completely different approach, think of it as depth-first reading vs breadth-first reading. Visually it looks like swipeable stacks of comments and it offers several advantages over traditional interfaces: - Comment…

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