# Beta testing the Android mobile app
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [September 14, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165 "2016-09-14T22:27:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/1 "2016-09-14T22:27:35Z")
We have been testing [our iOS app](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-ios-mobile-app/49662) for a few weeks with great success and are happy to open up **Android** for beta testing!
I am going to keep a list of known issues updated in this post, so be sure to check the first post in this topic prior to reporting stuff.
### How it works and what it does.
The Android app is an **open source** react native application. The vast majority of the code is shared between our iOS app and it. Source code lives at: [GitHub - discourse/DiscourseMobile: Discourse Mobile · GitHub](https://github.com/discourse/discoursemobile)
The app takes care of keeping track of unread/new counts and notifications counts across multiple Discourse sites.
For sites we host you also get “push notifications” for every notification you get.
For the Android port we needed to implement a native library for public/private encryption, custom internal implementation of push notifications and a native library for [chrome custom tab](https://developer.chrome.com/multidevice/android/customtabs)
### Known issues
- Android has [no concept of application badge](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17565307/how-to-display-count-of-notifications-in-app-launcher-icon) it is a shame to miss out on this feature but unclear on how we can implement it, feedback on how welcome
- When you login via Google/Facebook the auth flow is interrupted, you must close site and reopen to reconnect.
- Unlike iOS, Android really dislikes lots of discrete notifications, instead it expects 1 notification per app that is updated, we will redesign. At the moment notifications are out of control.
- Background fetch is not yet implemented, this means there is no fallback on Android for push notifications on sites we do not host. We plan to address this somehow.
- The app **normalizes** on Chrome stable for all browsing. If you do not have Chrome stable installed you can not use the app. Chrome beta and canary are not supported. Built in browser or custom browsers are not supported. This is entirely by design and a great normalizer.
Big thanks to @joffrey\_jaffeux for lots of the work on the app and you all for testing.
Please reply to the topic if you would like to beta test and I will send out an invite!
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### Author:  [@LeoMcA](https://meta.discourse.org/u/LeoMcA)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/2 "2016-09-14T23:03:56Z")
---
### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/3 "2016-09-14T23:23:20Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> Android has no concept of application badge it is a shame to miss out on this feature but unclear on how we can implement it, feedback on how welcome
I would encourage working with 3rd party launchers. A current popular one is Nova Launcher with Tesla Unread. You can review the API [here](http://novalauncher.com/teslaunread-api/).
> [@sam](#):
>
> The app normalizes on Chrome stable for all browsing. If you do not have Chrome stable installed you can not use the app. Chrome beta and canary are not supported. Built in browser or custom browsers are not supported. This is entirely by design and a great normalizer.
I will share that (personally) this is a big disappointment. I fully understand not supporting canary, which updates insanely frequently, but beta has a much more reasonable pace of updates.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/4 "2016-09-14T23:27:17Z")
> [@jomaxro](#):
>
> but beta has a much more reasonable pace of updates
I follow, but we simply do not support beta browsers, its an unsupported config.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/5 "2016-09-14T23:28:38Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> I follow, but we simply do not support beta browsers, its an unsupported config.
Understand that - but why restrict, why not simply non-support, like you do for non-docker based installs?
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/6 "2016-09-14T23:38:52Z")
It is not simple… for one we don’t even have a page for “settings” at the moment in the app, when choosing the intent preferring “unstable beta” over “stable release” is not a correct choice, if we added a “fallback to beta” you would have to uninstall stable to have it pick that.
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### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/7 "2016-09-14T23:39:27Z")
Please send me an invite.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/8 "2016-09-14T23:40:58Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> if we added a “fallback to beta” you would have to uninstall stable to have it pick that.
That would be fine with me. I don’t have stable installed at the moment, and would prefer to not need to install it. However, if it is that complicated development wise, I’ll go ahead and install stable.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/9 "2016-09-15T00:06:25Z")
There are no plans to do this. I’d cancel the android app entirely if it becomes too difficult to support. So weigh that in your feedback, please.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/10 "2016-09-15T00:07:27Z")
> [@codinghorror](#):
>
> There are no plans to do this.
Understood. As I said above,
> [@jomaxro](#):
>
> if it is that complicated development wise, I’ll go ahead and install stable
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### Author:  [@LeoMcA](https://meta.discourse.org/u/LeoMcA)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/11 "2016-09-15T00:28:07Z")
I’m finding it quite difficult to tap on a discourse instance to open it. About half the time it’s trying to slide to show the delete button. I really have to woodpecker it with my finger for it to register as a ‘click’.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/12 "2016-09-15T00:42:38Z")
What phone/OS are you using?
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/13 "2016-09-15T00:44:15Z")
Its technically possible to do the fallback thing, does not add more than 5 lines of code… but
It increases our support load so a non starter
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/14 "2016-09-15T00:44:59Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> It increases our support load so a non starter
Sounds good! I’ve already installed stable and am working to get meta and stonehearth added now.
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### Author:  [@tobiaseigen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tobiaseigen)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/15 "2016-09-15T00:52:34Z")
I’d be happy to test the android app.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/16 "2016-09-15T01:09:00Z")
Count me for being a tester
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/17 "2016-09-15T02:20:38Z")
Note, to get Sitepoint to work properly with the app you are going to have to merge in latest and do a deploy.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/18 "2016-09-15T02:27:35Z")
That’s okay. We’re in the middle of prepping an upgrade right now anyway 🙂 (ping @nec286)
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### Author:  [@Squirrel](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Squirrel)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/19 "2016-09-15T03:55:10Z")
I’d like to do some testing.
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### Author:  [@jomaxro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/jomaxro)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165/20 "2016-09-15T04:21:22Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> Unlike iOS, Android really dislikes lots of discrete notifications, instead it expects 1 notification per app that is updated, we will redesign. At the moment notifications are out of control
Been playing with the app this evening, and have received numerous notifications for this topic (that I’m watching). Can confirm that the individual notifications are overwhelming. May I suggest looking into the way Gmail rolls up its notifications into one?
**Unexpanded notification:**
**Single notification expanded:**
**Multiple notifications expanded:**
[Next page](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beta-testing-the-android-mobile-app/50165.md?page=2)