The Forem team just released an update (version 1.0.4) for our iOS mobile app and I wanted to share some of the features included in it.
If you own iOS devices and haven't tried the Forem app out yet, check it out on the AppStore.
Performance optimizations
The main appeal of the Forem mobile app is quite possibly its browsing capabilities. You can easily scroll through many different Forems that you regularly use, all in one place with a quick and simple gesture (swipe left/right on the toolbar).
Version 1.0.4 brings a performance optimization that should be transparent on regular day-to-day use, meaning that it should be almost unnoticeable unless you look very closely.
It's a bit technical, but this optimization consists of de-initializing the web runtime of Forems that aren't in use.
The goal here is to reduce resource consumption by the app. We're a bit constrained by the underlying WKWebView implementation that we use, but at the same time we're actively trying to make enhancements like these to provide a lightweight experience.
Deep Link Banner
Also known as the Runtime Banner in the codebase, we introduced a slight change in the way we handle these links. The goal was to avoid an edge case where a blank page was left behind after the deep link into the mobile app took place.
This only happened in embedded WebViews in 3rd party apps or non-Safari browsers. Click/tap on this image to see what the feature should look like:
🚨Important Note: If you run a Forem via Self-Host, be sure to update to the latest stable version to take advantage of this. You'll also benefit from many other fixes and improvements of the codebase if you consistently stay up-to-date.
Other Enhancements
The following enhancements fall into the "everything else" category:
- Small updates to the splash screen.
- The onboarding flow is now able to handle deep links.
- Updated text to better explain "Add Forem by Domain" vs "Add Private Forem".
Big Thanks to Our Testflight Beta Testers
There were a handful of beta testers that were eager to try out new features and help us with feedback along the way — well before we shipped new updates to our mobile app. Thank you.
All the reports we received have been very helpful and we appreciate you giving these "unstable builds" a try.
If you didn't know, Testflight beta versions are open to anyone who would like to try them out. Just follow this link (using an iOS device) to get notified when new beta versions come out.
What's Next
We have some very exciting projects in the works in the mobile area that we'll hopefully be able to release in the near future. These projects include a redesign of the bottom toolbar, better push notification support, more performance optimizations, and our Android app! Stay tuned for future announcements from the Forem mobile team!
Top comments (5)
Hi, I'm just starting to try out our instance with the official Forem app. When I downloaded it and tried adding my domain via "Add Forem by Domain", it says "We couldn't find this community domain".
I think I have set up Consumer App following this article and it now displays two big green check marks in the admin page. Do I need extra configurations to make it actually work?
Our site: migdal.jp
Hi @yheuhtozr , this is an odd situation. If you go to the Admin page (
/admin), what do you see in the Deployment section on "Last Deployed" and "Latest Commit ID"?At first glance it seems like the instance is a little out of date.
It looks like this. Seems it doesn't have the commit ID because I'm not running it via Docker?
And yes, our current build is a little old, forked on Aug 22. I'm preparing to sync with this month's update.
Can't login with facebook in app
Hi @ntkien2192 , the reason you can't use the "Log in with Facebook" is because Apple forces app developers to use Sign in with Apple (SIWA for short) if any other social authentication is enabled (Facebook, Twitter, etc).
Forems that have SIWA enabled will display those options, like This MMA Life. We are forced to hide these options on Forems that don't have SIWA enabled, otherwise the app gets rejected.
We are working on a new authentication method that will hopefully simplify this process and also allow for users to have one account to authenticate on all Forems if they want to (completely optional). This new method will be compliant with Apple's guidelines.
In the mean time I can suggest you go to the login page of the Forem you had this problem and try "I forgot my password". You'll get an email with a link where you can configure a password and you'll be able to log in that same account with email and password. I'm sorry for this inconvenience.