Commons app - v5.0 release - Commons-l

12 May 2024

Hi all,

Hope you have been well! We have just released v5.0.1 of the Commons
Android app to production. The update is now available on Play store [1]
and F-droid [2]. You could also build the app directly from our GitHub
repository [3].

If you've faced issues with your profile not working / contribution information
not being shown appropriately, sorry about that! We've fixed that in
this version
:-)

We've had yet another revamp of the Maps screens in this version. We replaced
Mapbox altogether with the osmdroid library. Key elements like pin visualization
and user-centered display are still included in this redesign. We did
this to guard
against possible misuse of the Mapbox token and, more crucially, to keep the app
from becoming dependent on a service that charges for usage but offers
a free tier.

As a consequence, you may observe the Nearby and other Map screens not being
as snappy as they used to. We've noticed this and are actively
discussing on ways
to improve the same[4]. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Talking about improvements to the app, this year Kanahia will be contributing to
the app during Google Summer of Code 2024! His project will focus on improving
upload queue management [5]. He will be mentored by Nicolas and Ritika.

Other significant changes:

- Add the ability to export locations of nearby missing pictures in GPX and KML
  formats. This allows you to browse the locations with desired radius
for offline
  use in your favourite map apps like OsmAnd or Maps.ME

- Added a compass arrow in the Nearby banner shown in the "Contributions"
screen
  to guide you towards the nearest item, thus providing the missing
directional cues.
  The arrow dynamically adjusts based on device rotation, aligning
with the calculated
  bearing towards the target location. Further, the distance and
direction are updated as
  you move.

- Implemented voice input feature for caption and description fields,
enabling you
  to dictate text directly into these fields.

- Improved various flows in the app to redirect you to the login page
and display a
  persistent message if your session becomes invalid due to a password change.

- Revamped initial upload screen layout and the description edit
screen layout for
  enhanced user experience and ensuring better symmetry in the design.

These are only a small chunk of all the changes that were part of this
release. Checkout
our release notes [3] for a more detailed set of changes since the
last announcement.

As always, feel free to reach our to us with your valuable feedback.
You could share
feedback in our talk page [6] / by writing an e-mail to
commons-app-android(a)googlegroups.com / via our issue tracker [7].

[[ References ]]

[1]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.free.nrw.commons
      (staged rollout has been initiated. It should be available in few days)
[2]: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/fr.free.nrw.commons
[3]: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/releases/tag/v5.0.0
[4]: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/issues/5529
[5]: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T360265
[6]: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons_talk:Mobile_app
[7]: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/issues

Best regards,
Sivaraam (User:Kaartic)