In the future when we are big :) The iOS app was mostly to create our first app and learn a lot from it. It needs to be much much better and the android too.
Well now that I think about it, a native app might not be the right way to do it.
Have you seen the Progressive Web App initiative that Google is heading? Basically, you convert the current site to use an app shell model (loads a page UI before everything else loads in), add a Service Worker for offline access (which even if it requires internet, also works as a cache to speed things up) and push notifications, and it will be installable on the device like a normal app on all platforms! (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.)
Very interesting! Been looking at Service Worker before but not in this context. I think the question we have to ask ourselves is: Why do we want an android app? Is it for notifications? Is it to be visible on the App Market? Is it to be easy to access from your mobile?
Well the notifications and for some offline functionality (like caching some stories to read when your offline and to keep working on a draft when you have a spotty connection aka "Lie-Fi" where it looks like you are online but you actually aren't.)
Noted, I would also want notifications to mobile instead of mail. Like new message or follower would be nice.
For offline: An idea would be to cache some of the finished stories and serve them up when you are offline.
And maybe also let write on a story of your own. Drafts we could save with localStorage so that when you lose wifi we can just fetch that from your browser.
Hey, I actually added a Service Worker to Story Wars now. Will look at push notifications later on but the first step is there with offline. Thanks for the tip!
You can use a tech called service worker to imitate a lot of what an app can do, like sending notifications, being useful offline, add to homescreen. I have implemented the offline mode but at the moment I am working on an app instead since Apple doesn't seem to be making any progress on the service worker.
Ideas
In the future when we are big :) The iOS app was mostly to create our first app and learn a lot from it. It needs to be much much better and the android too.
Well now that I think about it, a native app might not be the right way to do it.
Have you seen the Progressive Web App initiative that Google is heading? Basically, you convert the current site to use an app shell model (loads a page UI before everything else loads in), add a Service Worker for offline access (which even if it requires internet, also works as a cache to speed things up) and push notifications, and it will be installable on the device like a normal app on all platforms! (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.)
https://developers.google.com/web/progressive-web-apps/
Also here's a list of sites using it currently curated by Opera: https://pwa.rocks/
Very interesting! Been looking at Service Worker before but not in this context. I think the question we have to ask ourselves is: Why do we want an android app? Is it for notifications? Is it to be visible on the App Market? Is it to be easy to access from your mobile?
Why do you want an Android app?
Well the notifications and for some offline functionality (like caching some stories to read when your offline and to keep working on a draft when you have a spotty connection aka "Lie-Fi" where it looks like you are online but you actually aren't.)
Noted, I would also want notifications to mobile instead of mail. Like new message or follower would be nice.
For offline: An idea would be to cache some of the finished stories and serve them up when you are offline.
And maybe also let write on a story of your own. Drafts we could save with localStorage so that when you lose wifi we can just fetch that from your browser.
Hey, I actually added a Service Worker to Story Wars now. Will look at push notifications later on but the first step is there with offline. Thanks for the tip!
joakim.johansson Can you please elaborate? I cannot understand
You can use a tech called service worker to imitate a lot of what an app can do, like sending notifications, being useful offline, add to homescreen. I have implemented the offline mode but at the moment I am working on an app instead since Apple doesn't seem to be making any progress on the service worker.
https://github.com/yarism/StoryWarsApp