Reddit Arrives in style with official Apps

Though little slow, but Reddit finally seems ready to take on the mobile world. More than 10 years after its inception, the popular yet divisive online forum Reddit released its tailored apps for iOS and Android on Thursday with the iPhone version replacing the popular Alien Blue service as the site's official mobile client.

The new apps represent Reddit's first concerted effort to create top-class mobile experiences since it acquired Alien Blue in October 2014. "The app is already the fastest way to browse Reddit, and it will serve as the foundation for many updates to come," said Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman in a statement.

Though both of Reddit's apps have been in beta for quite some time, but the software is now available to download in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Reddit plans on making its apps available in more countries over the following months.

Alex Le, Reddit's Vice President for consumer product, speaking to The Verge, said, "We learned a lot from our passionate Alien Blue community about what makes a great iOS app and we applied those learnings when building Reddit for iOS. Due to limited resources, we decided to focus our efforts on making Reddit for iOS our primary and official Reddit client. The new code base has allowed us to add features and build a stable client in a record amount of time. We hope to keep up the pace and deliver new updates at least once a month."

Unlike the website, the mobile app is sleeker and more modern. With design tweaks and iconography that make the experience feel less like a stripped-down version of the desktop site and more like a unique destination. The software maintains its forerunner's popular Night Mode function for viewing Reddit in low-light situations. To navigate the flood of Reddit, a new "speed read" button has been provided that lets you quickly navigate long threads like Ask Me Anything sessions. The apps also cater better to active users with quicker and easier ways to drop in links, text, or photos and check your account activity.

Reddit is undergoing a transitional period since last July, when former CEO Ellen Pao resigned from her post following a controversial run at the online forum. Along with the app, Reddit is continuing its push toward cracking down on harassment and making the site more welcoming. https://www.ciol.com/reddit-stands-up-against-trolls-and-hecklers/

"Beyond the launch of the native iOS app, we have a lot of work to do — 2016 is also about building out a strong product team that will help us work on the small and big changes alike. We’re hiring talented engineers and product managers who share our commitment to making Reddit Inc. the best place to work, and Reddit.com the best place to find community," expressed Huffman.