I stumbled across something recently that made my inner Star Trek nerd do a double-take. If you’re like me—middle-aged and grew up watching The Next Generation—chances are your iPad mini reminds you of the data pads the crew used aboard the Enterprise. But of course, Apple’s default interface doesn’t exactly scream LCARS. That’s where an app called “STARSS” comes in.
See it in action in my latest video.
I found this while browsing around and had never heard of it before, despite the fact that it’s apparently been on the App Store for over 17 years. It’s free, and was created by Christopher Kriens, who as far as I can tell hasn’t made any other iOS apps. What makes STARSS unique is that it turns your iPad—or iPhone—into a fully functional LCARS-style RSS reader. It’s more than just a nostalgic interface toy. It actually has some function.
When you launch the app, you’re greeted with that familiar Starfleet color palette and UI structure. It pulls in RSS feeds and displays articles as if they were Starfleet communiqués. It even includes audio effects—when you share an article, for instance, it plays the communicator chirp. The navigation is pure LCARS: no scrolling with your fingers here. Instead, you tap buttons labeled “ascend” and “descend” to move through lists. To read an article, you select it and tap “access article,” which opens a summary. You can then hit “access web” to launch the article in a built-in browser.
There’s a certain charm in how committed the app is to the Star Trek aesthetic. Features like “red alert” mode, weapon systems with sound effects, and a “subspace scan” button add to the illusion. If you really want to immerse yourself, you can even enable ambient bridge sounds that play while the app is open.
Underneath the LCARS exterior is a lightweight but capable RSS reader. It doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles like tags or folders, but it gets the job done. You can add new feeds by searching for a site and hitting “engage.” I tried it with my own blog and had no problem getting it to work. Articles show up in the reader with summaries or full text, depending on how the site publishes its feed.
There’s also iCloud sync support, basic text size controls, and even an option to trigger red alert mode if you drop your iPad. It’s clearly not meant to replace more advanced RSS readers, but it doesn’t need to. For Star Trek fans looking for a functional novelty, it lands in the sweet spot.
STARSS is free and still available on the App Store. It might not be new, but it was new to me—and sometimes that’s even better.
Find an iPad on Amazon (compensated affiliate link).