Editing Eurovision Wiki:Village pump (technical) (section)

== Future of editing on the Wikipedia mobile apps – Invitation to discuss  ==

The Mobile Apps team is exploring what should happen when an app user taps "Edit" on an article, and input from your community would be valuable. The context is summarized below, and full information can be found on the [[mw:Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Future_of_Editing_on_the_Mobile_Apps|Future of Editing on the Mobile Apps]] page. The plan is to make sure app users edit in the mobile web editor from within the app, where we have better editing tools.

'''Problem definition'''

The Wikipedia mobile apps were originally built as reading tools. Reading features and native app capabilities are the primary motivation for users to download them, and remain the driving factor for high reader retention. In the last several years native editing experiences were added to the Wikipedia apps to meet user requests. A challenge has been the absence of VisualEditor in the apps, which is the result of technical constraints; it would take several years to build a functional native WSYWIG editor. The lack of VisualEditor has meant anyone who opens an article to edit is immediately confronted with raw wikitext, which resembles code and leads many newcomers to assume editing requires technical knowledge. Research confirms that despite investments in improvements to the native editor, the lack of VisualEditor creates a barrier to editing articles in the absence of structured tasks like Suggested Edits. Additionally, community spaces like the Teahouse and Help Desk are difficult to access from within the apps due to it being outside of the main namespace.

'''Context: the reader strategy'''

The Wikimedia Foundation is [[diffblog:2026/03/10/engaging-and-reengaging-wikipedia-readers/|placing more emphasis]] on improving reading experiences alongside editing, with the goal of supporting readership, attracting new users and retaining them. We can’t rely on readers finding us through search engines the way we have been used to, and have to find new ways to attract readers who keep coming back to the wikis – some of whom might become editors in the future.

As part of this direction, the apps are being developed primarily as a strong reading experience for active readers, with more emphasis on features such as personalized discovery using local device data, daily reader engagement opportunities, and deeper connections to content.

At the same time, improvements to editing tools are increasingly being made on the web. This includes features such as Edit Check in the VisualEditor, Suggested Edits, and the Newcomer homepage, which aim to make editing more accessible and supportive for contributors.

This context matters for editor recruitment. The apps attract new readers every year, do a good job at retaining them, and there are plans to increase app visibility. Many editors make their first contributions by correcting small errors while casually reading — if those moments of impulse happen inside the app and a newcomer encounters wikitext without the option of VisualEditor, it may discourage them before they establish a foothold. The [[mw:Readers|Reader]] and Contributor teams at the Wikimedia Foundation are working together on this, and introducing editing is particularly important on the apps, where a large share of users visit daily, and daily users are most likely to try editing – for example, 3% of readers became new editors with unreverted edits after they learned they could edit through the new app [[mw:Wikimedia_Apps/Team/iOS/Activity_Tab|Activity Tab feature]]. 

'''What's being considered'''

The team is exploring ways for users to continue editing in mobile web from within the app, where VisualEditor and other more fully-featured tools are available. There are open questions about how to do this effectively.

'''Questions the team would especially like input on'''

* What are the most critical editing workflows or community spaces that need to be accessible (even via redirect) from within the app?
* If the mobile web editor was accessible from the app, should the Mobile Apps eliminate the native source editor and suggested edits altogether? 
* For editors who have tried editing on the app: at what point did the experience fall short, and would access to VisualEditor / mobile web have changed that?
* Are there aspects of the handoff from app to mobile web editor that would be most important to get right?
* What should that transition feel like? A prompt, a redirect, a wrapped in web experience? What should the tone of the redirect take if we are sending people out of the app to provide the least jarring experience?
* For editors who guide newcomers: how often does the app come up as a first editing environment, and what problems follow from that?

The full discussion page is at [[mw:Talk:Wikimedia Apps/Team/Future of Editing on the Mobile Apps]]. Feedback on this post is also welcome.

--[[User:ARamadan-WMF|ARamadan-WMF]] ([[User talk:ARamadan-WMF|talk]]) 12:37, 17 March 2026 (UTC)