You would think in today's day and age, you'd be nothing if you didn't have a smartphone app. However, although Reddit is a force to be reckoned with online, it hasn't really been a part of the mobile game until now.
Reddit has launched a new mobile app. However, you won't be able to access all of Reddit's capabilities in the palm of your hand. This new app is solely dedicated to Reddit's popular Ask Me Anything series where everyone from President Barack Obama to an employee at your local sports bar and grill hops on the site to answer your burning questions.
The Official Reddit AMA app allows users to more easily join and explore the massive amount of AMAs available on the site, especially as they happen. You can navigate between AMAs that are currently popular, scroll through the most recent AMAs, which are also marked if they are currently in progress, and the all-time most popular AMAs. There's also a feature that lets you browse through AMAs by subject, such as Entertainment, Military and Experiences.
"We've found in the last year or so a huge uptick in people accessing Reddit from the mobile web, and we want to give those folks a great experience," Reddit Senior Vice President Ellen Pao told Variety.
The look of the app, which is currently available for iOS and will be launched later this week for Android, is decidedly different than the desktop version of Reddit, whose simplicity has always given it that grassroots feeling. The design is pretty much what you would expect from a mobile app today, with large photos for some of its more noteworthy AMAs and a white background with minimalist icons. The logo has even been simplified to a white lower case "R" on top of a dark orange circle.
One might expect some hardcore Redditors to be a little peeved about Reddit seemingly becoming more mainstream. However, much of the criticism of the app on Reddit asked why there wasn't an app for the whole site yet or complained that the app is only available for iOS devices so far.
It'll be interesting to see what Reddit's new app does for apps designed to connect regular users with their favorite celebrities overall. WhoSay launched in September 2013 to allow users to follow the social media updates and news of their favorite stars. Facebook also released Facebook Mentions in July to make it easier for public figures to connect with users of the social network.
Neither of these have really taken off just yet, but maybe Reddit's new app will change all of that. AMAs are already one of the most popular features on Reddit, and with 40 percent of new users in August coming to Reddit through mobile devices, all signs point to this new app being a success. And anything that invites more AMAs into the world is a welcome change in my book.
