Olivia Cavallaro Tech 08.01.2022 21:Aug PM EDT

Discord Overhauls Its Android App: Here's What to Expect

The company has started rolling out a Disord update that addresses one of the software's most common issues.

On Monday, Discord announced that it rolled out a revamped Android app so that users on that platform will no longer have to wait longer than those using iOS and desktop. Discord users on Android devices are familiar with the traditional way of receiving updates, often months after such updates are made available to iOS, just like with the Server Profiles.

This is now a thing of the past, as the company has finally switched to React Native for the Discord Android app, which the company used for iOS development since Meta had first open sourced it back in 2015, Engadget reported. Now, both Discord mobile apps for iOS and Android devices are on the same underlying codebase so users can expect improved seamlessness and consistency.

What to Expect with Discord's Overhauled Android App

In a blog post, Discord said that using React Native for its Android app has enabled them to create an "ever-improving" experience for their users at a faster rate across all platforms Discord is available on, while "retaining Android and iOS specific patterns in the UI." Users will also notice that design details and UI elements will appear more consistent and seamless across all three platforms.

Users who install the Discord Android app for the first time will find a larger font in the app that is consistent with the iOS interface, while existing users have the option to switch to this updated design in settings.

Because React Native has allowed Discord to streamline and consolidate their processes, the company is now able to provide its Android users with faster app update release cycles. Now, Discord's engineers are able to work more efficiently and release updates more frequently for all platforms at the same time.

Users Now Experiencing New Discord Android App

Discord promised users they would "find ways to support you and your communities as quickly and efficiently as possible" regardless of the device they are using. The Discord Android app has been rolled out and some users are already enjoying the React Native development framework-built app.

The Verge reported that React Native is widely used in many popular mobile apps such as Instagram, Pinterest, Shopify, Microsoft Outlook, and Tesla, among others. It is also used to develop apps for Android, Android TV, iOS, macOS, tvOS, Web, Windows, and UWP, by enabling developers to use the React framework alongside native platform capabilities.

React is a free and open-source front-end JavaScript library that was developed in 2013 and is used to build user interfaces based on UI components. Now, these same technologies have arrived at the Discord Android app, providing users with a more seamless messaging experience.

Discord was initially released on May 13, 2015 as a VoIP and instant messaging social platform for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, Linux, and in web browsers. By 2021, its number of users had grown to more than 150 million worldwide.