Google Reader is about to bite the bullet and many have been waiting for signs of a credible replacement. Feedly have been busy building out their features and support but a key piece is about to fall into place. Now they have announced that third party apps such as Nextgen Reader will be able to use the Feedly API.

One of the main problems that has beset many Google Reader replacements is that of API access; that’s to say, allowing for other 3rd party apps to hook in and use the feed. This is what brought about so much Google Reader adoption and a proliferation of reader clients.

Feedly have "been working behind the curtains" with Reeder, G Reader, Press, Nextgen and Newsify on their Normandy project. Sounds like top secret stuff, but essentially the project's aim is to mimic the Google Reader API.

What this all boils down to is good news for those of us who are currently using one of the 3rd party apps above. The Feedly access for these apps will be in place well before Google Reader closes its doors, which should ease the transition for many. As well as breaking the good news on that they have even provided some links for their top user voice suggestions. If you’re a Windows Phone 8 & Windows 8 user, make sure to get voting here for an official Feedly app.

While the blog post doesn’t go into specifics, it does look as though the API is locked down to these five to start with. There is even mention of over 100 requests to be part of this initial phase; other devs will need to apply for the next round. While we welcome the expansion of Feedly so it fills in the hole Google Reader will leave, we hope that API access is fair and open to all.

If are considering a Google Reader app replacement for Windows Phone 8 or Windows 8, Nextgen Reader could be your best bet. If you’re an existing user of Nextgen they advise that free updates to users of Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8 and their Windows 8 app will be arriving shortly.

Source: Feedly via Next Matters