Official Reddit apps are coming to fuel your addiction

By Killian Bell

Just as I thought I was close to curing my Reddit addiction — I’ve been “clean” for almost three days — confirmation that official Reddit apps are incoming for Android and iOS means I’m almost certainly destined for a relapse.

Job listings have revealed that Reddit is on the hunt for app developers with skills in Java (for Android) and Objective C (for iOS) who can make it “easier for people to find great content” on Reddit using mobile devices. The ads appeared this week in the company’s “for hire” subreddit.

There are already some terrific third-party Reddit clients for Android and iOS, of course, but an official offering could open the mobile experience up to a wider range of Reddit users and boost engagement on mobile devices. For some, official solutions are preferable to third-party ones.

Plenty of Reddit users will be pleased to see an official app is on the way, then.

“The world is going mobile, and so is reddit,” the job listing reads. “We’re hiring developers to help us build and maintain apps to highlight great content from reddit for a broader, global audience. Our focus is on making it easier for people to find great content on reddit through mobile apps, clean design and machine learning.”

Reddit wants developers who “love mobile apps” and have experience and skills in Android and iOS development languages. The company says a design background is also helpful with its focus on “hiding the complexity from users and making our apps simple.”

In addition to this job listing, Reddit has confirmed plans for the new apps in an updated privacy policy that explains how user information will be collected and governed.

Reddit hasn’t confirmed when these apps will be available, but it appears they are still in the early stages of development at this point. We don’t anticipate to see anything until later this year at the earliest. But again, there are some great third-party solutions you can use in the meantime.

If you’re an Android user, I recommend BaconReader. I’ve written about this app a number of times before, and I still believe it’s the best solution in Google Play. It’s free — though there is a paid upgrade to remove ads — and it’s feature-packed. It also has a clean and simple user interface that lets you enjoy Reddit without any clutter.

Alien Blue is my favorite Reddit client for iOS. It’s even more beautiful than BaconReader, and it has some really unique features like Canvas, which lets you browse multiple images like they are photo galleries. It’s ideal for image-centric subreddits. Alien Blue is also free, and there’s a $1.99 upgrade if you want to go “pro.”