Mobile/FAQ

This is a pad for writing an FAQ page for end users of the mobile app.

Please use wiki syntax and not Etherpad formatting. Keep the answers short and to the point. Use simple and clear end-user level language. Many people who will read this do not know English well. Hopefully, it will also be translated, and translators' work should be easy :)

Language

 * How can I search in another language?
 * Android:
 * Press the menu button.
 * Tap "More".
 * Tap "Settings".
 * Tap "Language".
 * Select your language in the list
 * iOS:
 * Tap the "Settings" icon (maybe add a pic?)
 * Tap "Language:".
 * Select your language from the list and tap "Done".


 * How can I switch the app interface to another language?
 * Android:
 * Go to the home screen.
 * Tap the apps icon.
 * Tap "Settings".
 * Tap "Language & keyboard".
 * Select your language.
 * iOS
 * TODO ANSWER


 * I can't find my language in the list of languages on my phone. How can I switch the interface to my language?
 * Android: Use the "MoreLocale 2" app. You can get it for free in the regular Google Play store. nstall the app, run it, press the menu button, tap "Add Locale" and enter your language's ISO 639 code in the Language field. If you don't know your language's ISO 639 code, you can find it on Wikipedia. You can also find it in the beginning of the address of the Wikipedia in your language. For example, the address of the Gujarati Wikipedia is https://gu.wikipedia.org, so the code is gu. See also A blog post by Gerard Meijssen about this.
 * iOS: TODO ??? (No way that I know of)


 * I see squares instead of letters in my language. How can I fix it?
 * TODO ANSWER (there's a bug about it)


 * Where can I translate this app to my language?
 * You can translate it at translatewiki.net. Open an account and find the Wikipedia App project in the list of projects. The software behind the app is being improved all the time, so check back every couple of weeks to see whether there are any new messages to translate. The number of untranslated messages should always be zero. If you have any questions, please ask them at the translatewiki.net Support page.

Security
The app does indeed have a nearby function. This allows you to locate articles near your current location. I can confirm that it doesn't track the user and does not store the locations the user has visited.
 * Why does the app request a permission to use location?
 * TODO DRAFT, PLEASE CHECK: The app has a "Nearby" functionality, which shows the user a map of the nearby area with markers that show places about which there are Wikipedia articles. The app does not track the user, does not store the locations and does not report the location anywhere.

Functionality

 * Can I copy the saved


 * Can I edit Wikipedia using this app?
 * Not yet! But we'll get there soon!


 * What is the difference between the Wikipedia Mobile site and this app?
 * TODO ANSWER

The Wikipedia mobile app can be thought of as an advanced version of the mobile site. The goal is for the mobile site to be the same as the mobile app however there are challenges in the mobile site that are simply not present in the mobile app that make development slower - such as legacy browser support and bandwidth constraints. In the app these problems do no exist so functions such as the nearby mode are present on the app but not on the mobile site.


 * Can I view talk pages / history / other special pages through the app?
 * You can get redirected to history for the page by tapping the link at the footer on the page - but it is not mobile formatted. No other special pages are available right now.


 * Are there apps for Wiktionary, Wikisource and other projects?
 * There's an app for Wiktionary (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wiktionary) built as part of the UCOSP program. The work done for that has made building apps for other wiki sites easy - https://github.com/yuvipanda/WikisourceMobile (has downloads!) is the app for Wikisource that was built in under an hour. They are not published to market yet, however.

(also https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=31808 )

For programmers

 * I have my own MediaWiki site. Can I have a mobile app for it, too?
 * Yes, you can! It is a very simple matter, and most of the work involves changing the branding to be your own. [NEEDS DOCUMENTATION]

Yes currently any developer can fork the github project and then change any references to wikipedia to the mediawiki site of their choice.


 * Where is the source code for this app?
 * http://github.com/wikimedia/WikipediaMobile


 * There is some bug / I have an idea to make it better. How can I contact?
 * Tweet @WikimediaMobile or mail to mobile-feedback-l@lists.wikimedia.org

Other

 * Thank you for making this app free! How can I thank you?
 * https://donate.wikimedia.org/ (TODO Is there a mobile donation landing page?) Spread the word

No mobile donation page yet