Now, this is a beta version so errors and crashes are expected. I’ve mentioned them here. Also, I’ll show what new feature set has been added that might make this app worth using. So, let’s dig in.
Official Reddit Android App Review [Beta]
So, starting with the login. It didn’t log into my account the first time. I had to tap on Skip for Now and then log in from the settings. Also, there were some random crashes while setting it up for first time use.
The Front Page
The front page is well organized and minimalistic. You get two layouts – Compact view and Cards view. There is a light theme as well as a dark theme to choose from. For my testing, I’ve stuck to the default light theme. The UI is pretty flat. I wish there was depth in some elements. It has a design material feel to it, but not as fluid a UX as some other alternatives. But, it’s clean and well organized. Sadly, you only get to see upvotes (as well as number of comments on each topic) but not the downvotes. Oh, well.
Well Organized Sidebar
Next, have a look at the sidebar. Here, you can access all the subreddits that you follow. Also, if you’re a moderator you’ve got options for that too. I liked how they made the best use of icons to enhance the user experience. Those icons give the effect of a folder opening and closing.
The Subreddit Page
The pages for Subreddits look similar to Google Plus’ community pages on Android. Except for the background. There’s a minor bug here as I couldn’t access the community info of the subreddit.
Interesting Comments
Coming to the comments section, now. They are designed the way they SHOULD BE. Replies get stacked perfectly. No need to long tap on the comments for options. They are available besides the comments. Also, you get a fixed comment button to quickly reply comments instead of the top bar. Again, only upvotes are visible, not downvotes. Also, it’s a little hard to single out OP’s comments in both the light and dark themes.
More Options in User Profile
The specific addition I liked in the User Profiles was the History tab. Something I’ve never seen in third-party apps. Then we have saved posts where all bookmarked posts are available. The bookmark didn’t seem to work. It took time for posts to appear in saved page. A restart of the app fixed it.
Media Support
Media like images, gifs and videos are way too simply displayed. The videos open up in a separate web view. Talking about the web view, the Chrome custom tabs are integrated inside the app. That’s really good because not many third-party apps have this feature integrated.
Submitting Content
Submitting images and text posts worked fine. There wasn’t any delay with that. The page to submit image had some bug. As you can see below in the second image there’s a lot of blank space between title and subreddit name. You actually have to tap on the space to get options to upload an image. Maybe the upload icon didn’t show load in my time testing the app.
So, Will You Switch to the Official App?
Well, I’m quite satisfied with the app. It’s lightweight and not bulky at all. The stable release will hopefully have these bugs fixed. Since it’s a private beta not much can be done from our side. So, let’s see what do we get with this official app. Most important is WHEN do we get it. Let us know your thoughts about this beta version down in the comments. ALSO SEE: 4 Lightweight Android Apps for Reddit that Consume Less Memory The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
