MNHQ: Our new mobile apps are out now!

[AmeliaPMumsnet]

Hi all,

The new version of our mobile app is now available on Android and will be available on iOS over the next couple of days. All users will be logged out when the update happens and will need to log in again to access the new app. You can continue to use the current app if your device doesn’t automatically update (some do), but we’ll be stopping support for this version at the end of the month, so we’d recommend downloading the new version from the App store.

We know this has been a long time coming for some, and we really appreciate your patience. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the beta testing group, your input has been invaluable. This is very much a first release that won’t include everything we want to include just yet. But we’re going to be making ongoing improvements, and we’ll continue listening to your feedback to shape future updates.

What’s new?
Here’s what you can look forward to in the new app:

• Nested quoting – You can now quote a post that already contains a quote—just like on the website—making it easier to keep up with discussions.
• AIBU? polls – You can now vote on AIBU? polls and even create your own.
• Thanks – Show your appreciation for helpful posts by thanking other users. You’ll also be able to see when someone thanks you!
• Edit your posts – You can now edit your posts from the app without heading to the website.
• See all posts by the OP – Android users can now filter posts to only see replies from the original poster, making it easier to follow their updates in a thread.
• Follow topics – Curate your own personalised feed by following your favourite topics, so you can easily find the discussions that matter most to you.
• More images – You can now upload more images in a single post than before, making it easier to share moments and information.
• GIFs – Sometimes words aren’t enough—now you can post GIFs to react, express yourself, or just add some fun to conversations!

What’s coming next?
We know there’s still work to do. Some features you’ve asked for aren’t in this first version, but that doesn’t mean we’re ignoring them. Here’s what we’re already working on for future updates:

• Links via emails – Email links will currently open in your browser to start with but we are investigating forcing them to open in the app.
• Dark mode – A long-requested feature! We’re working on bringing dark mode to the app for a more comfortable viewing experience, especially at night.
• More reactions – Right now, you can thank posts, but we’re planning to introduce more reaction options so they match what’s available on the website.
• Better push notifications – We’re making push notifications more useful and adding different types of alerts, so it’s easier to stay updated on the things you care about most.
• Notifications centre – We’ll be introducing a dedicated notifications hub in the app, making it easier to catch up on all your notifications in one place.
• PMs – We know many of you have asked for PMs to be included in the app. This is on our radar, but it will take some time to get right. We’ll keep you updated on our plans!

Let us know what you think - your input really helps to fix any initial glitches and help us keep improving. And thanks again for sticking with us - we can’t wait for you to try the new app! 💜

Agree with lots of people above. Needs dark mode, swipe to bookmark. Apart from now being able to quote embedded quotes I can’t see any improvements on the IOS app

Hi, bookmark is harder. It’s a step of right clicking the three dots which needs precision, and then step of moving diagonally to the left and a click. It was nice just the little icon to press at the right before. Also, I preferred the blue 😊

It’s so clunky to catch up on threads you’re watching or have posted on. You have to click into the thread then because it is always ordered oldest to newest (well it is for me anyway) you either have to scroll all the way down to the bottom (takes ages on a long thread) or you have to click the arrows top right, select newest then scroll down again past the original post to see the latest.

can you remove me from the test group please.

Appreciate the new app! I would say that it’s lost the intuitive feel of an app now though and is more like using a browser. As PPs have mentioned, there are now several steps to eg flip to newest on a thread, watch threads etc instead of just one swipe or click. That’s the main thing I’d love to see changed

Also not keen on having the OP’s post pinned to the top, even when you’re at the bottom of the thread.

Maybe we could change the colour too at some point (eg of the OP and other options than blue)? A dark mode option would also be great.

VERY much enjoying being able to edit posts!

This is exactly what I was trying to say @AmeliaPMumsnet, the swipe was significantly easier.

I've also realised I hate the new posts number on the threads I'm on. I find it unsettling to look at. I've gone back to using desktop where possible as I find much about the new app jarring and not at all soothing to look at and interact with.

Can we not change the colour like we did before? I’m finding the white background very bright and harsh on my eyes.

Oh I really, really don’t like the flip option now. Why repost the OP? And why introduce another step to click on ‘newest first’? Surely that’s the only reason you would flip the thread.

What sort of phone? I’ve got the smallest iPhone, and with the Dynamic Type text size at its middle setting I can see quite a lot more than that. It doesn't seem much different from the old version for the amount of post I can see.

Oh and bookmark is not working. Threads are automatically going back to my last post rather than bookmark

Agree with this. It’s annoying having the OPs post at the top even when you’re reading newest comments first, what does that even achieve? I don’t need to reread the OP. And a long opening post means too much scrolling just to read the newest comments.

Ok so I un installed and reinstalled the app and it's still happening. I'm on Samsung A53 5G and have normal font and size settings.

@AmeliaPMumsnet same for me.

I am having the same problem 😔

I hate to complain, because obviously this is an optional thing , given to us . But pretty please 🙏, is there no way to incorporate all the new good things while keeping the old look and good things we had before?
for me personally if we had the new improvements but the app looked the same as before that would be perfect 👌

I tend to post on long-running threads (either fast moving or ones that last for weeks), but I am not sure how usual that is. I think we'll have to adopt a two lines max for the first post and then put the rest in the second.

Is there a way to reduce the font size within the app (rest of my phone is fine)? I only seem to be getting 6 or 7 words on a line versus 10 or 11 with the old app.

With the first post remaining and the increased font size, I seem to spend the whole time scrolling furiously to get to the second/"most recent" post.

If you are taking requests, please could I have a "refresh button"?

Love that you’ve been putting resources into rewriting the app and bringing it more into alignment with the website but I’ve just had to delete it because it doesn’t actually work properly.

Email link now forces the app instead of easily allowing you to use the website. When it sent me to a thread I’d been quoted on I thought it would be good to be able to respond in the app (not ideal previously as didn’t use to be able to quote quoted posts). But when I tried to reply it told me the thread was no longer accepting new messages. I looked and there were under 400 messages so that seemed odd. Opened the thread in a browser and lo and behold I could reply.

I’ve been able to get by with the old app because I wasn’t sent there by your emails so just didn’t try and use it for anything tricky. Now I’m forced there it’s a burden so I’ve had to delete it.

Would be lovely to know when you’ve got past the beta version so I can reinstall.

There is a refresh button but it’s right down the end of the thread. It’s useful to have one there I guess, to remind people who’ve just RTFT to refresh to see if there’s new posts before commenting. However, I think just pulling down the screen refreshes so a button isn’t actually necessary.

Hi all,

Just to clarify, this isn’t a test app, so we’re unable to remove people from using it, and the old app is no longer available for download. But we’re noting all your feedback and will be working hard to fix any tecnical issues as soon as possible.

We're also working on changes to flipping and how threads appear once flipped, based on your feedback. We’ll be rolling these out as soon as possible.

Meantime thanks for bearing with us.

No it’s not, there was a test all and you had to download it separately and have two versions on MN at once.

This is the updated app.

Will the change away from swiping and being able to hide a thread easily be taken into consideration? Touching the three buttons on a thread at the right near the top then moving all the way down to the bottom left to press hide is hugely awkward on an iPad and really affects the usability of the app.

I really really don’t like the new app. I’m on an iphone.
I hate the larger font.
The flipping from oldest to newest was much better before. There’s now an extra step - why ?

{mention:AmeliaPMumsnet}im@AmeliaPMumsnetim having problems when commenting on a thread and tagging someone in. When I try and quote their name by doing @ it brings their name up twice!

{mention:AmeliaPMumsnet}also@AmeliaPMumsnetalso it says mention next to their name.

iOS:

Font too big and if you go into the app settings and make it smaller by one point it’s too small.

Large threads, when I try and filter out users it gets stuck loading and then declares “oops, can’t load right now”. Super annoying when I just want to see OP updates.

generally it feels somehow clunkier than the last, and seems messier in terms of navigation. That said I am happy that we have active and trending back as that’s handy.

Haven’t used it enough otherwise to comment on specific features listed in the OP.