Safari opens RSS feeds in News app even if not in Apple News format

Originator:adam
Number:rdar://47908594 Date Originated:
Status:Open Resolved:
Product:iOS + SDK Product Version:iOS 12.1.1
Classification:UI/Usability Reproducible:Always
 
Area:
Safari

Summary:
Safari seems to always make RSS/Atom feeds open in News, even if the feed lacks the Apple News attributes required for the News app to support it. This happens even if apps are installed that are capable of opening the file. 

Observing the title of the tab after opening a feed URL shows a “feed:” prefix added to the URL, suggesting Safari continues to have specific handling for feeds where it shouldn’t (I recall this opening a MobileMe feed preview page a long time ago!).

Also, tapping Cancel and attempting to open the link again displays “Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid”. 

See attachment for demo. 

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Visit https://github.com/apple.atom in Safari
2. Tap Open to launch News

Expected Results:
News can open the feed. Or, Safari recognises it’s not an Apple News-compatible feed and provides other options such as opening it in a capable app.

Actual Results:
News app opens and displays “This content is not available in Apple News” and never displays the feed. 

Version/Build:
iOS 12.1.1

Configuration:
iPhone XS

Comments


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