Sidefy is removing the experimental on-device Behavior Learning feature in the upcoming release. Implicit Core ML ranking did not work well enough in practice, and local samples and models will be cleaned up on upgrade.
We shipped Behavior Learning as an experimental feature in On-Device Behavior Learning: A Core ML Stack for Your Timeline → — on-device sample collection, Create ML training, and bubble sort/dim based on how you browse RSS.
After a month of real use and feedback, we are removing it in the next Sidefy release.
Why we are removing it
The idea was sound: learn interest from implicit signals instead of asking you to rate every headline. In practice, the results were not good enough to keep.
- Noisy signals — Dwell time, page turns, and reader time do not map cleanly to “interested” vs. “not interested.” A quick skim and a deliberate skip can look the same to the tracker.
- Weak ranking — A small text classifier trained on title + notes could reorder bubble rows, but the order often felt arbitrary rather than helpful.
- Hard to trust — With Collect and Apply enabled, dimming and reordering made the bubble feel less predictable. That is the opposite of what a timeline at the screen edge should be.
We iterated on weights, training thresholds, and sort rules, but the core problem remained: implicit browsing behavior is a poor proxy for RSS interest at this scale.
What changes for you
If you never enabled Behavior Learning, nothing changes.
If you did:
- Experimental Features — The Behavior Learning section and toggles are gone.
- Bubble presentation — Rows return to their normal order and opacity. No interest-based sort or dim.
- Local data cleanup — On upgrade, Sidefy removes engagement sample databases, trained Core ML models, and related settings from your Mac. Nothing is uploaded; this is a local cleanup only.
You do not need to tap Clear before updating. The migration handles it.
What to use instead
Behavior Learning was meant to reduce manual RSS triage. Sidefy already has better-supported tools for that:
- SideScript rules — Hide newsletters, boost sources you care about, or color-code by feed. See SideScript Syntax Guide →.
- RSS feed management — Disable or remove feeds that add noise.
- Pinned events — Keep important items visible regardless of source order.
We may revisit personalized ranking later, but only if we find an approach that is both accurate and predictable. For now, we would rather remove a feature that did not earn its place than keep it around as experimental clutter.
Removing in the upcoming Sidefy release.