Wikipedia app update says yes to Material Design

A new Wikipedia app update has rolled out to the joy of many users, since we haven’t seen an UI update for it in a long time. While the app didn’t have any major issues on mobile devices, it is nice to see that Wikipedia is keeping up with the times and rolling out updates that will benefit the users, as well as the platform. The brand new Wikipedia app update takes full advantage of the hype around Android 5.0 Lollipop and Material Design to bring a revamped UI to match all the other apps that have already received the Lollipop treatment.

The Wikipedia app update doesn’t just bring UI improvements, though, even if those are the most noticeable changes. Alongside Material Design and its flat elements of the UI, the update also introduces new usability features as well as improvements and tweaks to the overall stability of the application. One of the biggest and most welcomed improvements in the updated Wikipedia app involves how you can interact with images. The experience has now been made easier and less cumbersome, the app now supporting parallax scrolling and a better image viewer that doesn’t influence the position of the article.

The full changelog for the Wikipedia app update can be read through right below:

• A prominent, contextually-relevant image at the top of each article (with parallax-scrolling) to engage readers in the topic
• “Read More” feature at the end of each article that includes links to up to three related pages to encourage readers to explore further
• Improved search functionality, including more defined and higher contrast search bar and a list of recently searched topics
• Image viewer that allows users to view a larger version of any image via a pop-up panel (image appears unobscured if tapped on) and swipe left or right to view the previous or next image

There are many people out there who prefer to use a browser to access Wikipedia articles, but the update will come in handy for those who consider themselves heavy users and appreciate a stand-alone experience. With the updates, the Wikipedia app is attempting to stay true to current trends, which is admirable. The free service is the most popular and closest to an encyclopedia as it gets, which makes continued support and improvements welcomed and helpful. There are still some quirks to work out with the mobile app, such as the navigation drawer which many seem to dislike because of the icons and colors. We hope all user feedback will be welcomed by Wikipedia and the developers of the app, and implemented in later updates. Enjoy Material design with the new Wikipedia app update straight from the Google Play Store.