Reddit is rolling out a new update for its service with a handful of visual tweaks. Among the new features are comments and vote animations, reading and typing indicators, and a new live comments pill.
The update aims to make Reddit “look and feel more lively and in the moment,” the company said in a blog post (via).
Reddit points out that votes on feeds and posts are non-static, meaning they can change in real-time. The company is also adding animations as the votes increase or decrease. The same applies to comment counts inside posts or feeds. Users can disable vote and comment count animations by navigating to user animation settings.
The service is also getting typing indicators showing the number of people typing in the comments section at any given point. Reddit said it would only show anonymized avatars of users. Reading indicators work similarly, displaying the number of people reading the post using anonymized avatars. This is a crucial inclusion considering the privacy of the users.
The new features are available on desktop, iOS, and Android versions of Reddit
Lastly, Redditors can view new comments as they are sent in. When the user taps the new comment indicator, all comments will be sorted based on their recency while highlighting new comments in real-time.
Reddit said these features are currently rolling out across desktop, iOS, and Android versions of the service today. Mobile users can check out their respective app hubs for an update.
The new update comes as Reddit tries to boost engagement on its platform. Despite enjoying a vast userbase, the platform is struggling to keep people engaged. This is partially due to the emergence of rival offerings like Discord.
Reddit is one of the few services that supports a bevy of third-party alternatives such as BaconReader, Relay, and others. So the company also has to take this into account while bringing new features to the platform. Most Reddit users still rely on third-party offerings, so the company has its work cut out to keep users on the official app.
The company launched Reddit Talk in April this year as a competitor to the popular live audio app Clubhouse. However, Reddit Talk is only available to moderators of select subreddits. Since the service is still deemed a pilot project, it could take a while to reach widespread adoption.
2021-12-04 15:06:01