WordPress for Android 2.9 Debuts Blog Discovery Feature

Version 2.9 of the WordPress for Android app was released today, debuting its Blog Discovery feature as a new part of the Reader. Blog Discovery can be found by clicking the tag icon in the top right corner of the Reader. This feature helps users find new blogs to read, based on recommendations, and allows you to preview a blog’s posts before electing to follow it.

The Reader has been updated to allow users to easily manage tags and blog subscriptions within the mobile app. You’ll notice that the reblogging interface is also sporting a new design.

Improved Publish Icon Button

The 2.9 release solves a long-standing issue with the ambiguous UI of the save/publish button. In the past, it was unclear whether or not you were saving a draft or publishing a post, which discouraged some users from using the app to save drafts on the go.

Version 2.9 clarifies the UI by replacing the publish icon button with a contextual text button. The new button displays the action it initiates, based on the current task, ie. saving a draft, publishing, scheduling, or updating a post. This is now more in line with how a user might expect WordPress to work based on the desktop experience.

UI Enhancements: Notifications Powered by Simperium, App Now Supports Pull-to-Refresh Gesture

Notifications now use Simperium technology for faster syncing. Stats also refresh faster and version 2.9 reintroduces the refresh button for all refreshable views. It makes use of Android’s native pull-to-refresh gesture. Posts will be auto-saved when you close the “edit post” view, so the save dialog has been removed entirely for simplification.

Version 2.9 adds Hebrew and Basque to its available translations. It also introduces SNI (Server Name Indication) support.

Support for Gingerbread (Android 2.3) was dropped, as announced last month. If you’re upgrading to WordPress for Android 2.9, you’ll need to be running Android 4.0 or later on your device.