2025:Program/Reading on the Wikipedia Mobile Apps: Demo and Discussion
Session title: Reading on the Wikipedia Mobile Apps: Demo and Discussion
- Session type: Roundtable
- Track: Technology
- Language: en
🎥 Session recording: https://w.wiki/FHcN 🎥
This roundtable invites Wikimedians to connect directly with the team behind the Wikipedia mobile apps. We’ll share our updated roadmap, highlight some of the app’s most powerful use cases (like local history storage), and explain how user and community feedback has shaped features like Tabs and Places.
Attendees will be invited to test the apps in real time, tell us what’s working — and what’s not — and ask questions directly to our team, including engineers. Members of the apps team, including Seddon, will be onsite at Wikimania to demonstrate features and gather feedback.
We’ll also share links to our team page and App Ambassadors program so you can stay involved beyond the session.
Description
This roundtable is an open, interactive session designed to bring Wikimedians together with the team behind the Wikipedia mobile apps — to talk about what’s working, what’s possible, and how we can improve the mobile experience for both readers and contributors.
We’ll have a demo to some of the most useful features that often go unnoticed, such as how article history is stored locally or how offline access is handled.
We’ll then walk through examples of how community feedback has directly influenced development — including the creation of features like Tabbed Browsing and Places. These examples reflect how input from Wikimedians helps us build tools that are practical, relevant, and community-informed.
To make the session hands-on, participants will be encouraged to test out the apps in real time and share live feedback.
Our team — including engineers and product leads — will be present to answer questions, guide demos, and listen.
We’ll also share how attendees can continue contributing after Wikimania, including through our team page, regular calls, and the App Ambassadors program.
Aims and Objectives:
Share and explain some of the app’s most impactful features and use cases
Highlight how community feedback has shaped key features (e.g., Tabs, Places)
Offer space for live testing, feedback, and real-time interaction
Encourage collaboration between contributors and engineers
Invite users to stay involved and give feedback beyond the session
Whether you're an editor, reader, or just curious about mobile access to Wikipedia, this session is for you.
- How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?
This session ties into the theme of inclusivity, impact, and sustainability by focusing on how Wikipedia’s mobile apps can improve the reading experience for users around the world. By inviting participants to test the app in real time and share direct feedback, we’re working toward practical improvements that make Wikipedia easier and more enjoyable to read on mobile. Through live demos, open discussion, and continued engagement opportunities, this session supports the development of tools that make free knowledge more accessible and sustainable for every reader, wherever they are.
- What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Everyone can participate in this session
Resources
Speakers
- aramadan
- I'm a Senior Movement Communications Specialist at the Wikimedia Foundation, supporting the Wikipedia mobile apps team. I help bridge the gap between the apps team and global communities through clear, inclusive communication and open dialogue.
- I organize and participate in community calls and office hours, creating space for collaboration, feedback, and shared learning between the apps team and Wikimedians around the world.
- I believe that truly inclusive, sustainable technology starts with listening to communities and making sure their voices help shape what we build.