Paul Von Schrottky 2:01 pm on April 11, 2023
Tags: ,   

Contribute to the Future of the WordPress App

Since July 2022, the WordPress mobile team has been refocusing the WordPress app on coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. features. We’re excited to announce that most of this work is now complete, and there are ample opportunities to get involved in shaping the future. 

What’s Changed?

The following Jetpack features have been removed from the WordPress app and are now only available in the Jetpack app:

  • Stats
  • Reader
  • Notifications
  • Activity Log
  • Backup
  • Sharing (Jetpack Social)
  • Jetpack blocks (BlockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. Editor)
  • @-Mentions and Crossposting (Block Editor)

In addition, core features that relied on the WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/ APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways., including People, Themes, and Menus, have been removed from WordPress.com and Jetpack-connected sites. (These features have never been available to self-hosted users without a Jetpack connection from the WordPress app.) Placeholders of Jetpack-powered features will remain in the app for some period of time to allow for a transition for users of these features.

There is still some work to be done, particularly with login, which we knew would take some time to decouple. The WordPress.com REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/. still authenticates WordPress.com users, and these users should have the option to use the WordPress app if desired. The mobile team will continue to work on this challenge with the aim of eventually removing this dependency.

However, with many Jetpack-specific features now removed, we’re ready to look to the future of the WordPress app. 

One of the goals behind refocusing the app was always to enable larger involvement from the community, and we look forward to seeing all the great contributions and developments that will come from this decision. 

How to Get Involved

Do you want to help shape the future of the WordPress mobile app? Here’s how you can contribute and make a difference:

  • Write and submit code. If you’re a developer, you can contribute to the app’s codebase by submitting pull requests through GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/:
  • WordPress for iOS is ~80% Swift, with Objective C making up some parts of the codebase.
  • If ReactReact React is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to reason about, construct, and maintain stateless and stateful user interfaces. https://reactjs.org/. Native is your jam, you could consider contributing to the editing experience in both apps with Mobile Gutenberg.
  • Test and review new features. Fortnightly calls for testing are posted to this blog, with steps you can take to participate. 
  • Suggest or design new features. If you want to get further involved in the app’s design, check out the #design channel on Slack and follow +design.
  • Open GitHub tickets with your proposals for the path forward.
  • Translate the app. If you’re fluent in a language other than English, you can help by translating the app so more people can use it.

Have questions? Not sure how to contribute? Comment on this post or ask in the Slack #mobile channel. We’re excited to continue building something great together!