Hi all,

Hope you have been well! We have just released v5.0.1 of the Commons Android app to production. The update is now available on Play store [1] and F-droid [2]. You could also build the app directly from our GitHub repository [3].

If you've faced issues with your profile not working / contribution information not being shown appropriately, sorry about that! We've fixed that in this version :-)

We've had yet another revamp of the Maps screens in this version. We replaced Mapbox altogether with the osmdroid library. Key elements like pin visualization and user-centered display are still included in this redesign. We did this to guard against possible misuse of the Mapbox token and, more crucially, to keep the app from becoming dependent on a service that charges for usage but offers a free tier.

As a consequence, you may observe the Nearby and other Map screens not being as snappy as they used to. We've noticed this and are actively discussing on ways to improve the same[4]. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Talking about improvements to the app, this year Kanahia will be contributing to the app during Google Summer of Code 2024! His project will focus on improving upload queue management [5]. He will be mentored by Nicolas and Ritika.

Other significant changes:

- Add the ability to export locations of nearby missing pictures in GPX and KML formats. This allows you to browse the locations with desired radius for offline use in your favourite map apps like OsmAnd or Maps.ME

- Added a compass arrow in the Nearby banner shown in the "Contributions" screen to guide you towards the nearest item, thus providing the missing directional cues. The arrow dynamically adjusts based on device rotation, aligning with the calculated bearing towards the target location. Further, the distance and direction are updated as you move.

- Implemented voice input feature for caption and description fields, enabling you to dictate text directly into these fields.

- Improved various flows in the app to redirect you to the login page and display a persistent message if your session becomes invalid due to a password change.

- Revamped initial upload screen layout and the description edit screen layout for enhanced user experience and ensuring better symmetry in the design.

These are only a small chunk of all the changes that were part of this release. Checkout our release notes [3] for a more detailed set of changes since the last announcement.

As always, feel free to reach our to us with your valuable feedback. You could share feedback in our talk page [6] / by writing an e-mail to commons-app-android@googlegroups.com / via our issue tracker [7].

[[ References ]]

[1]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.free.nrw.commons (staged rollout has been initiated. It should be available in few days) [2]: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/fr.free.nrw.commons [3]: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/releases/tag/v5.0.0 [4]: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/issues/5529 [5]: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T360265 [6]: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons_talk:Mobile_app [7]: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/issues

Best regards, Sivaraam (User:Kaartic)