There is no major redesign this time. Instead, this release cleans up a handful of things that affect reading, navigation and how fresh stories appear around the site.
Members Stay Ad-Free For Now
Signed-in members now receive an ad-free version of Reality Recap.
As mentioned in our earlier membership update, this is temporary. Reality Recap membership is free for now, and the ad-free experience is expected to become part of a paid subscription later.
For the moment, it gives early members a cleaner reading experience while the site continues testing ads and building out the next stage of membership.
Ad Layout Tweaks
Article pages now have a dedicated desktop sidebar space for ads, which helps make better use of wider screens without changing the mobile reading experience.
The back-to-top button has also been moved higher on the page so it is less likely to clash with bottom ads.
There is also a gentle support message for readers using ad blockers, asking them to consider allowing ads or becoming a member. It is designed to be a reminder, not a hard block.
The site's privacy, terms and advertising disclosure pages have also been updated to reflect the new ad setup and member ad-free experience.
Fresher Navigation
The homepage and navigation dropdowns now refresh more often, so newly published stories should appear in key site areas sooner.
Pinned stories in the navigation dropdowns also now show a small pin icon, making curated stories easier to spot.
Some homepage and story-card images have also been tuned so mobile devices can load more suitable image sizes.
Bug Fixes
The Site Updates page has had a card layout fix too. Category labels, dates and read times should sit more neatly, instead of wrapping awkwardly across multiple lines.
As always, if something looks off, please let us know.
