Reddit plans tests outside the US that would make signing in the main way to use the service. Its October 29 letter to shareholders puts the trials in the last quarter of 2026. The results will shape a later global version.
The letter does not name the test markets or give an exact start date. It also sets no date for a worldwide rollout.
Chief executive Steve Huffman set out his aims in a post about the change. He wants the front page, and content reached through search results or shared links, to remain readable while logged out. Those access rules are still being worked out, he says.
The company says signing in will help it tailor posts and ads, meet safety rules and control unauthorized data scraping. Huffman says the change will not require people to reveal their real names.
Reddit's letter says visits from search engines fell during the July-to-September quarter and kept falling in October. Axios reported on the plan after speaking to Reddit executives.
Huffman also says Reddit has rebuilt its app's read-only incognito mode. The current help page says it lets people browse and search without linking that activity to their logged-in account. Those visits will not be saved to the account's history or used to shape its later ads and recommendations.
After someone leaves incognito, Reddit may keep the session's IP address for a limited time, solely to measure how ads perform. The help page says it will not retain details of the non-ad content viewed in that session. It gives no exact retention period.
Incognito is available only in the app and is currently unavailable in some regions that require age checks, the help page says. The mode also cannot control what a phone, internet provider or another website records.