As of today you can request an invite to AOL’s brand new RSS reader. This is the internet giant’s first mark in the big wide world of RSS, and it comes just a week ahead of Google Reader’s planned shutdown on July 1. AOL will of course be hoping to get as many Google Reader users as it can on board.

If you have an existing AOL, Google, Twitter, or Facebook account, you can sign up for the AOL Reader beta, which is available to everyone. All that’s required is a simple email address verification.

Once you’re signed in you will be able to import all of your stuff from Google Reader, a process which involves the use of Google Takeout as opposed to a direct data import. After uploading your subscriptions.xml file, downloaded from Takeout, you will be presented with a clean and simple interface for following and tracking your feeds.

There is a wide array of keyboard shortcuts and the interface can be switched between light and dark mode depending on your preference. If you experience any issues when uploading your XML file, try closing and re-opening the browser window.

As soon as your stuff has been imported you will notice that the AOL Reader interface is distinctly similar to Google Reader’s, only a little bit snappier with a slightly modernized appearance and easier social sharing features. However attractive its web interface is, though, AOL Reader is put at a massive disadvantage by its present lack of native mobile apps.

So, for the time being, we’re looking at a web-only beta on both mobile and desktop. That’s likely to change in the future, of course, when AOL Reader exits beta and goes public.

Hit the source link below to register for the AOL reader beta.

• SourceAOL Reader