@gingerbeardman we have a new beta ready on TestFlight with a partial fix for your request. Here is the link: Join the Discourse Hub beta - TestFlight - Apple
I will explain here why it is a partial fix. The beta build includes a solution only for the layout changes bit, not the Hot topics bit. For the layout changes, I opted to only show the URL of a site row if that row does not have anything under new/unread. That is, the layout should be this now:
Notice that the row height will be consistent for the vast majority of cases (there are exceptions for sites with many group inboxes). With this solution, there is no need for a setting and that affected my thinking about the Hot topics toggle, too. Since there is only one setting needed, I felt quite uneasy about adding a screen with just one setting. So for now, there is no support to disable the “Sites / Hot topics” bar, sorry!
Also note that this beta release (version 2.1.0, build 621) also includes:
- an easier gesture to dismiss a site by swiping top down when the user is at the top of the viewport
- a bug fix for top padding on new iPhone 17 devices
- under-the-hood upgrades to React Native
- better icons for sites with no logo (or broken logos)