Instapaper 4.2.2 with Background Update Locations

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Now, with Background Update Locations, Instapaper can automatically download new articles whenever you enter or leave locations such as your home or workplace. Visit the Settings panel to set it up.

This feature requires an iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 with 3G, or current iPad with 4G.

Special thanks to News.me for pioneering this clever technique.

iOS doesn’t yet permit apps like Instapaper to automatically download new content in the background on a regular schedule, but Background Update Locations can get most of the way there for a lot of people. Simply add up to 10 locations that you enter and leave often, and Instapaper will frequently update without manually launching it.

Instapaper stores these locations only within the app itself, only for this purpose, and does not share them or send them to any web service (not even its own servers). I respect your privacy.

Because this feature uses geofencing, you might be skeptical of battery life. (I was.) For whatever it’s worth, I’ve had it enabled for two weeks and haven’t noticed a meaningful battery-life difference on my iPhone or iPad.

The 4.2.2 update also includes improved typography and miscellaneous bugfixes. It’s now available in the App Store as a free update to all customers. Update now!