Hello mobile wikimedians,
*tl;dr Today we pushed a beta for our next version, 5.0.5, to beta testers
with major stability and performance updates under the hood. We’re thinking
about notifications and nearby features, so take a look [7,9] and let us
know what you think.*
== 5.0.5 beta 2 Released ==
As mentioned previously on list, starting with the release of iOS 9.3 and
Wikipedia version 5.0.3, we saw a near doubling of our crash rate. This is
evident in recent app store ratings and reviews, and OTRS reports.
To address this we have focused on updates to core components which have
been sources of significant instability or risk.
In addition to a library architecture change made in 5.0.4 (which has seen
our crash rate reduced) the team has been working hard to transition our
core html rendering component (called a “web view” in app terminology) from
the older Apple “UIWebView” to the more modern “WKWebView”[1]. (WK here
stands for WebKit[2]). Since article display with html is the main function
of the app, this is essentially like putting a new engine in your car. As
with a new engine, this one should not only break down less often, but also
be faster and more resource efficient[3].
== Upcoming Plans ==
With all our planned technical, stability and performance improvements
included in this beta, we’re focusing again on improving the features and
usability of the app. In particular we plan to address user requests to be
able to search within pages, and provide easier access to everyone’s
favorite Random articles. We will also continue to work on making the app
accessible to disabled readers.
We also want to continue to experiment with new ways to engage with the
encyclopedia on mobile devices, as part of the Foundation’s Reach focus in
the recent strategy process[4], and the Reading team’s focus on improving
the encyclopedia experience, trying new mobile-centric modes of interaction
and assessing their effect on repeat app usage[5].
== Feature Wikis ==
===Content Notifications===
In a post on the Wikimedia Foundation blog today[6], I introduced our
initial ideas around notifications. You can also check out our wiki for
more detailed initial concepts for content notifications[7]. Completing an
initial test of notifications is also our teams goal for the upcoming
quarter[8].
===Nearby and Map based browsing===
Building on the existing Android map based experience, and the iOS
compass-based approach, we’re exploring adding add a new tab for searching
and browsing Wikipedia based on location and via a map. Check out our wiki
on the potential features and designs for Nearby on iOS[9].
We welcome your feedback on these features on the relevant talk pages. And
of course we welcome general feedback, suggestions and code contributions
in the usual places: email, IRC (#wikimedia-ios and #wikimedia-mobile) or
wiki[10].
Thanks,
Josh Minor
Reading Product Manager, Wikipedia for iOS
[1] -
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/WebKit/Reference/WKWe…
[2] - WebKit is an open source html rendering and browsing engine (
https://webkit.org/) used by Safari and many other browsers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_web_browsers#WebKit-based
[3] -
http://developer.telerik.com/featured/why-ios-8s-wkwebview-is-a-big-deal-fo…
[4] -
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2016_Strategy/Draft_WMF_Strategy#Rationale
(Referred to in the Strategy discussions as “Reach - Approach 6”)
[5] -
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading/Strategy/2016-2017_plan#Program_4:_I…
[6] -
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/06/17/wikipedia-mobile/
[7] -
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/iOS/Notifications
[8] -
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Engineering/2016-17_Q1_Goals#Readi…
[9] -
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/iOS/Nearby
[10]-
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/iOS