Reddit has updated its Android and iOS apps to help users have a better commenting experience. The update includes immediate loading of comments, keeping the post context accessible while reading comments and consistent conversation navigation between post types.

The first improvement you’ll see in this update is the speed at which comments load. If the user clicks on a post’s comments button on the home page, they will be taken directly to the top of the comments, making it easier to enter the discussion.

The next step is the ability to maintain the context of the post while reading the comments thanks to a collapsible bar at the top of the discussion. This bar will be displayed if you go to the post page and scroll down to the comments. Tapping the bar will enlarge the post for a closer look.

Finally, Reddit now has consistent conversations regardless of post type. In the new update, you can experience a new unified media player, immersive transitions and consistent gestures. To get to conversations, just swipe up, to get to new content, just swipe left.

Reddit said it worked with Redditors to test these changes to find out what works and what doesn’t. By working with the community to introduce new changes, this can mean there is less pushback from users after the changes are deployed.

If you cast your mind back to the early 2010s Digg, Reddit’s spiritual predecessor, introduced a major overhaul to its website, which really hurt its reputation and led to an exodus of users. That’s why Reddit has to be careful about making changes and ensure they’re popular with the community first.

Reddit has too Announced this week that in the coming years it plans to invest in advertising and organic shopping solutions that open up more opportunities for e-commerce brands. Ads on its platform could help it increase revenue and make it more attractive to investors now that its shares are public.

source: Reddit