Hello, and welcome to the app’s first newsletter in 2024!
It has been a long year; we published four editions of our newsletter, which you can go through all of them. In this edition, we will cover our work for the last quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024!
Android
Edit Patrol (also known as Patroller tasks on Android) has been released to Beta testers with rollback rights on Test Wiki and Indonesian Wikipedia. We had a productive meeting with Indonesian users to introduce and discuss the new patrolling tasks feature on the Android app, as we provided a detailed presentation on the feature, and collected valuable feedback from the Indonesian community to enhance the user experience. For those interested, a meeting recording is available. We conducted outreach to Spanish, and French Wikipedia communities during February 2024.
We hosted two synchronous community consultations & recorded a third where we shared the Edit Patrol suggested edit workflow, and showed designs for Saved messages and templates:
French - 21 February 2024 from 16-17 UTC. Recording with translation, slides.
Spanish - 28 February 2024 from 16-17 UTC. Recording, and slides.
Places feature is back to the Wikipedia Android app! Places is a feature that allows you to discover articles by location. The iOS app was able to maintain the feature via use of Apple Maps, but it was necessary for Android audiences that we continue using an open source map.
iOS
Suggested Edits on iOS prototype is in the experimental build. Instructions to test the feature can be found on this FAQ page. Alt text is text associated with an image that serves the same purpose and conveys the same essential information as the image. The app's product manager presented our team's work and prototype (iOS suggested edits) to the GLAM conference audience. All details can be found in the presentation's deck.
It is now possible to donate using Apple Pay directly from the app.
IOS Native Editor Improvement Development is out! You will be able to edit, find and replace, and insert links and images directly from Commons without any performance issues! Additionally, it is now possible to edit a full article page and a talk page.
In the current quarter, we aim to engage with editors from LATAM, Spanish-speaking regions, North America, and the Caribbean to test Suggested edits and the new native editor features.
Community meetings
We participated in the GLAM conference in November 2023. All the details are mentioned in the iOS section of this edition from the newsletter.
On December 1st of 2023, The Wikipedia Android team met with Indonesian users to introduce and discuss the new patrolling tasks feature on the Android app. The team provided a detailed presentation on the feature and collected valuable feedback. A meeting recording is available.
We joined the Wiki Editoras Lx editathon on December 16th to gather feedback about an alt-text Suggested Edit task on iOS. Attendees were generally positive about the prospect of the feature. Experienced editors thought it could be a good task for on-boarding new editors, but also a more casual way of contributing for new editors.
Revealing What's Inside the Fourth Edition of the Wikipedia Mobile Apps Newsletter!
Discover the latest updates, improvements, and new content in our newsletter, ensuring you stay informed for an enhanced mobile Wikipedia experience.
iOS
From the end of August to October 2023
The iOS suggested edits feature, originally successful on Android, is now being developed for iOS. This expansion aligns with the Product & Technology organization's goals for the 2023–2024 fiscal year, with a specific target of increasing mobile contributions by 10% without reversion. This move responds to the growing demand for a similar content creation and maintenance tool on Apple devices.
The team released 7.4.1 in August, which included:
The ability to Undo and Rollback edits on Diff Pages!
We also improved language variants for Chinese and Serbian languages.
In October, 7.4.2 was released, which included the following:
Watchlist on iOS: We've heard your requests! You can now access your Watchlist through Settings → Account → Watchlist. Add new items to your Watchlist via the new overflow menu in the Article View. Take actions on edits by clicking a username on the Watchlist view, or take actions like "Thank" on the diff screen of an edit in your list.
Article Section Sharing: Want to send someone to a specific section in an article? Click a section in the table of contents and then click "Share" via the article overflow menu.
Bug Fixes to ensure you can swipe without the app freezing and that the navigation bar doesn't shrink or disappear.
Thank you for volunteering developers Serguitar, jhsoby, agray, Nikki, TiagoLubiana.dijkstra.and revolter for their contributions to this release.
Android
From the end of August to October 2023
The team is actively working on reinstating the nearby feature due to the high volume of requests we've received. You can find comprehensive tracking details for this effort on Phabricator T347201.
We have been working on developing the Patroller Tasks, and most of the screens have passed the design reviews.
Bug fixes and minor improvements:
Fixed possible crashes on Android 14 devices.
Fixed some view styles related to the Material Design, which includes toolbar and dialog.
Introduced more text-highlighted features to the search results across the app.
Introduced the Wikitext keyboard support to the talk page interfaces.
Community meetings
We would like to invite you to an online meeting with the mobile apps team. It will take place on the 27th of October at 5 p.m. UTC (check your zone’s exact time).
Feel free to share your questions and thoughts about Wikipedia’s mobile apps on the Wikimedia Apps/Office Hours page on mediawiki.org. We would love to hear from you. The last date to add your input will be on the 24th of October at 12:00 UTC.
If you'd like a one-day reminder before the meeting, simply add your username on the same link, and we'll send you one.
Revealing What's Inside the Fourth Edition of the Wikipedia Mobile Apps Newsletter!
Discover the latest updates, improvements, and new content in our newsletter, ensuring you stay informed for an enhanced mobile Wikipedia experience.
iOS
From the end of August to October 2023
The iOS suggested edits feature, originally successful on Android, is now being developed for iOS. This expansion aligns with the Product & Technology organization's goals for the 2023–2024 fiscal year, with a specific target of increasing mobile contributions by 10% without reversion. This move responds to the growing demand for a similar content creation and maintenance tool on Apple devices.
The team released 7.4.1 in August, which included:
The ability to Undo and Rollback edits on Diff Pages!
We also improved language variants for Chinese and Serbian languages.
In October, 7.4.2 was released, which included the following:
Watchlist on iOS: We've heard your requests! You can now access your Watchlist through Settings → Account → Watchlist. Add new items to your Watchlist via the new overflow menu in the Article View. Take actions on edits by clicking a username on the Watchlist view, or take actions like "Thank" on the diff screen of an edit in your list.
Article Section Sharing: Want to send someone to a specific section in an article? Click a section in the table of contents and then click "Share" via the article overflow menu.
Bug Fixes to ensure you can swipe without the app freezing and that the navigation bar doesn't shrink or disappear.
Thank you for volunteering developers Serguitar, jhsoby, agray, Nikki, TiagoLubiana.dijkstra.and revolter for their contributions to this release.
Android
From the end of August to October 2023
The team is actively working on reinstating the nearby feature due to the high volume of requests we've received. You can find comprehensive tracking details for this effort on Phabricator T347201.
We have been working on developing the Patroller Tasks, and most of the screens have passed the design reviews.
Bug fixes and minor improvements:
Fixed possible crashes on Android 14 devices.
Fixed some view styles related to the Material Design, which includes toolbar and dialog.
Introduced more text-highlighted features to the search results across the app.
Introduced the Wikitext keyboard support to the talk page interfaces.
Community meetings
We would like to invite you to an online meeting with the mobile apps team. It will take place on the 27th of October at 5 p.m. UTC (check your zone’s exact time).
Feel free to share your questions and thoughts about Wikipedia’s mobile apps on the Wikimedia Apps/Office Hours page on mediawiki.org. We would love to hear from you. The last date to add your input will be on the 24th of October at 12:00 UTC.
If you'd like a one-day reminder before the meeting, simply add your username on the same link, and we'll send you one.
Presenting the Third Edition of the Wikipedia Mobile Apps Newsletter!
Explore the freshest news, enhancements, and additions in our newsletter, keeping you in the loop for an enriched mobile Wikipedia journey. Dive into the content and make the most of your reading!
iOS
From June to August 2023
We released version 7.3.1 on July 12, with highlights:
Fixed character counter in article description editor.
Addressed automatic theme switching bug and performed cleanup for performance fixes.
We're progressing on upcoming features:
Redesigning diff view: The "Diff View" displays changes in a Wikipedia article over time, showing additions, deletions, and edits for easy comparison between different versions helping you track content evolution and updates.
Coming in 7.4.0:
Unleash the power of "Undo" and "Rollback" with updated diff pages!They let you revert changes made to an article back to a previous version, helping you fix mistakes or unwanted edits quickly. As we move one step closer to bringing Watchlist to the iOS app we are aiming to release it in September. We've refreshed our diff pages and added the option for experienced editors to roll back destructive edits. You can check out the updated diff page by tapping "View Edit History" in any article.
Connect across language variants with updated codes! When you venture into articles of different language variants, particularly Chinese and Serbian, you should find a smoother experience when using variant codes.
Remember, your feedback powers our journey. You can be a part of our quest to create the ultimate Wikipedia experience by reporting bugs, quirks, or even your magical moments. Reach out through [email protected].
Thank you for being a vital part of our community... Happy exploring!
Android
From June to August 2023:
We've been finishing up our work on Image Recommendations (a new Suggested Edits task where you'll be able to add images to articles that are currently unillustrated). We plan to release the feature by September.
We are beginning development on Patroller Tasks (a new Suggested Edits task for patrolling recent edits for vandalism). You can read about the usability testing we’ve conducted for the feature on the project page on MediaWiki.
On a note of gratitude, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated individuals who participated as graders for Machine Assisted Article Descriptions. Your invaluable contributions have significantly contributed to the advancement of our projects, and we look forward to your continued collaboration as we push the boundaries of Wikipedia's capabilities.
Community meetings
On July 30, 2023, the Wikimedia Apps Team had a fruitful meeting with the group behind the Wiki Mentor Africa Initiative. Over 100 participants joined on Zoom, with others watching the YouTube live stream. The presentation covered the Apps' history, roadmap, open questions, feature reviews, and FAQs. Valuable feedback was shared, enhancing the apps' development and user experience. These collaborative engagements are vital to building a more inclusive Wikimedia platform. I am enthusiastic about recreating this experience with other communities; please navigate to the last paragraph to know how to initiate such engagements.
On August 17, the spotlight was on the Apps Team at Wikimania as we presented "There’s an App for that: a mobile-native way to interact with the movement". We appreciate everyone who tuned in virtually to explore the future of interaction with the Wikimedia movement through our innovative mobile app. If you missed it or want to revisit the content, you can find the presentation slides at this link.
We're excited to share that Jazmin Tanner, the Apps Lead Product Manager, contributed to the session titled "Supporting Moderators at the Wikimedia Foundation." As we diligently worked on refining the patroller feature on the apps, Jazmin provided valuable insights that contributed to discussions on enhancing the experience for both moderators and users.
The next office hour
Our upcoming office hour is scheduled for October. Further information regarding the specific date and time will be provided in our forthcoming newsletter.
We are excited and willing to arrange meetings with interested community members.
You may also contact us at [email protected] to arrange such gatherings.
And you can subscribe to this newsletter from this link.
Introducing the Second Issue of the Wikipedia Mobile Apps Newsletter!
Discover the latest updates, features, and improvements in our newsletter. Stay informed and enhance your mobile Wikipedia experience. Enjoy the read!
iOS
From April. to June 2023:
Significant progress was made on the iOS platform. Version 7.2.2 was released on May 10, and version 7.3.0 was released on June 1.
These updates included various improvements, such as simplified state restoration, which improved many of the performance issues we heard about through our support email and app store. We also worked to release a page protection notice on the editor, enhanced reliability of widget data fetching, color updates, and bug fixes. Additionally, we continue to make progress on a native watchlist functionality, Talk page image support, full page editing and enhancements to our native source editor, and language updates.
Android
From April. to June 2023:
We focused on completing our work on our updated design component library, bringing it up to date with the latest Material Design 3 guidelines. You can now view images on talk pages.
We have successfully concluded the experiment on machine-assisted article descriptions and would like to highlight our gratitude to our dedicated volunteers. We are excited to announce that we will be sharing the outcomes of the experiment next month.
Community meetings
In May, our team member Marina Azevedo participated in the Wikimedia Hackathon, a yearly event held this year in Athens, Greece, aimed at fostering connections among the global technical community. The event provided opportunities for hacking, engaging in technical discussions, and discovering innovative ideas.
The upcoming meeting between the Wiki Mentor Africa Initiative and the Wikipedia Mobile Apps Team will be an important event covering several key aspects. These include exploring the history of the apps, discussing the roadmap for future development, addressing open questions, conducting comprehensive feature reviews, and providing clarity on frequently asked questions (FAQs).
This meeting promises to be a valuable opportunity for collaboration and innovation, with the shared objective of improving the mobile Wikipedia experience.
We are excited and willing to arrange meetings with other community members who are interested. You may also contact us at [email protected] to arrange such gatherings.
Existing news
There are upcoming opportunities to provide feedback on various tasks related to patrolling. These include offering input on image recommendations, specifically on Android, as well as providing feedback on new diffs in iOS and answering questions about updated watchlist designs; if you are interested in participating, please reach out to me.
Welcome to the first edition of the Apps newsletter!
This newsletter informs you about new features, updates, or improvements to the Wikipedia mobile apps. It will be sent every two months, with a brief description of the updates and work progress we have been through.
iOS
From January to April 2023:
Since January, we have finished our work on edit notices, custom block messages, and abuse filter messages. Those features were released in 7.2.0 on March 13. Check here for detailed information.
Android
From January to April 2023:
Since January, we've been completing our experiment with machine-generated article descriptions, refined our feature of shareable reading lists, and begun work towards adopting IP masking functionality. Check here for detailed information.
Office hours
The first Apps office hour was held on the 23rd of March 2023; detailed information about the announcement, agenda, and even the record and presentation deck can be found here.
Community meetings
We enjoyed meeting the Dagbani user group for a one-hour meeting and answering all of their question about Wikipedia’s mobile applications and how to use them for reading, searching, and editing. The community users expressed that they care about having more offline usage capabilities, and a new section related to this topic will be added to the Apps FAQ soon.
With pleasure, we had a meeting with the Commons volunteers to explore possibilities for collaboration between them and the apps team within the foundation. We reached an agreement to intervene in critical situations with the play store to ensure that the Commons app remains accessible online.
We are excited and willing to arrange meetings with other community members who are interested. You may also contact us at [email protected] to arrange such gatherings.;)
Exciting news: iOS is currently developing a watchlist feature. Stay tuned for our next newsletter release to learn additional details about it.
Yes, decision has been adopted fast. It is a real pleasure for me with the extended possibilities. With a solid technical background I understand the different subjects we are speaking of - which makes the translations fluent, coherent and close to the reality. Thanks again for your support. Christian.
