Managing Your Blog On a Mobile Device

A few enhancements we’ve added to the iOS and Android apps for easier blogging.

December 13, 2017

Sarah B.

Have you given the WordPress mobile apps a try lately? We’ve been working hard to make sure our iOS and Android apps are simple to use and have the features you need to blog right from your phone or tablet. Here are a few recent additions and updates that make blogging on the go easier:

Add Categories and Tags

Before publishing a blog post, you can add categories and tags right in the app’s post editor. To add categories and tags to a post in the iOS editor, tap the … at the top right, then Options. On Android, tap the gear icon at the top right.

(Need a refresher? Categories allow you to group related posts together on your site, and tags help people find you in the WordPress.com Reader. Keep in mind that the Reader will filter out posts using more than 15 categories and tags total, so stick to 15 or fewer.)

Edit Post Slugs and Excerpts

A post slug is the part of a post’s URL after the .com (or the .blog, .org, .net, or whichever kind of address you use). WordPress generates one for you automatically based on your post’s title — but if your post has a very long title, it will also have a very long URL. Now, you can edit your slugs in the apps to shorten them.

You can also add and edit excerpts — little summaries of your posts — in the app. Some themes display post excerpts on your home page; if yours does, you’ll want to add one to each post. They also display in the WordPress.com Reader, giving you more control over what appears there.

To find the slug and excerpt in the apps, go back into your post’s settings: head to a post and tap on … → Options (iOS) or on the gear icon (Android), Scroll to the bottom of the screen to find the slug and excerpt options.

Add a Featured Image

Lots of themes use Featured Images to draw readers’ eyes to your posts and pages. And when readers share your posts, the Featured Image is often used by Twitter, Facebook, and other networks. It’s the first part of a post most people see, and plays a big role in whether people decide to read.

To add a featured image to a post, open a post and go back to — you guessed it! — …→ Options (iOS) or the gear icon (Android). You can change an existing featured image there, too.

Easier Reading and Accessibility

The apps have seen several changes to make them easier to use, including better button and image descriptions for screen readers and improved zooming to increase text size. If you’ve had trouble with small text in one of the apps before or found something to be inaccessible, give it another try and be sure to let our support team know if you see areas where we can improve further.

In-App Support

If you have any questions, you can reach our support team right in the apps by going to Me → Help & Support → Contact Us. We’d love to hear your feedback!

Don’t have the WordPress mobile app yet? Download it here.

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55 Comments

Comments are closed.

  1. letstalkdepression Dec 13th at 5:05 pm

    I love the app, I use it daily. I still prefer to write my post from a desk top but I have written at least 3 post this month alone on the app. The only thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how to make my blog sticky for the front page. Any suggestions?

    Liked by 21 people

  2. msarora Dec 13th at 5:22 pm

    Great for me who is operating the blog from android phone.

    Liked by 13 people

  3. Your The Bomb . com Dec 13th at 5:51 pm

    There isn’t an option to center photos or text… everything else is great.

    Liked by 9 people

  4. Tom Armstrong Dec 13th at 6:11 pm

    I am new and have found the mobile IOS app very easy and user friendly. Thanks!

    Liked by 18 people

  5. Ike A. Offor Dec 13th at 6:18 pm

    I am going to try this out, I desperately need that while on the go.

    Liked by 13 people

  6. WoRdaDDict Dec 13th at 6:20 pm

    I downloaded the app first before I even set foot on the desktop version of WordPress. I use it on a daily and I think it’s been smooth so far. Great post, I was wondering what slugs were.

    Liked by 13 people

  7. kateshiru Dec 13th at 6:27 pm

    I use it and I truly do enjoy the app, truly very convenient

    Liked by 11 people

  8. talktoabby Dec 13th at 6:33 pm

    Very helpful because I use the mobile app.

    Liked by 11 people

  9. floatinggold Dec 13th at 6:58 pm

    Nope. I’ll stick to desktop. Thank you very much.

    Liked by 6 people

  10. leilanicheeakwai Dec 13th at 7:14 pm

    I used to blog solely from my Android device for almost a year and a half, this is a great post – thank you.

    Liked by 14 people

  11. ozarkriverman Dec 13th at 7:22 pm

    I am new and I confess I am not technically gifted. Having a difficult time editing my profile with a profile pic. I’m further along with this then I was yesterday. Learning grounds.

    Liked by 11 people

  12. Musical Genius Dec 13th at 8:04 pm

    2 Thumbs up from me. The app is user friendly and has so many ways to navigate through. Thanks.

    Liked by 14 people

  13. growingthroughsomething Dec 13th at 8:18 pm

    Thanks for the insight! 🙂

    Liked by 11 people

  14. theloyalbritwit Dec 13th at 8:47 pm

    I love the app, but my biggest complaint has been where to find the drafts. I love editing better on the computer because on the app it switches formats and posts it incorrectly. So if you’re used to the old format under the “view site” and clicking where the create new post icon was next to the number, try that again but close the new post and you’ll find it laid out similarly to the old update.

    Liked by 11 people

  15. notdonner Dec 13th at 9:13 pm

    I’ve been at this for a year, and I welcome the advice! I hadn’t realized the power in the slug or the excerpt…..thank you.

    Liked by 10 people

  16. Engr Paulo Dec 13th at 9:19 pm

    Hi! 🙂
    Please make the wordpress app for java phones too.
    Neither do I use Android nor iOS.

    THANKS!

    Liked by 9 people

  17. Toortsie Dec 13th at 9:29 pm

    I love the app! Thank you so much.

    Liked by 13 people

  18. daughters of the King Dec 14th at 12:06 am

    I will definitely try this!

    Liked by 10 people

  19. frommyheart Dec 14th at 1:14 am

    Thanks for sharing this..

    Liked by 7 people

  20. SimpleWay.com Dec 14th at 1:15 am

    Hi,

    WordPress.com is the best place to crete a website. Thanks for that post because it makes me learn more. Thanks to WordPress.com, it has helped our business “SimpleWay.com” get bigger and bigger, daily!

    Thanks!

    Liked by 8 people

  21. 🌹V.O.L Dec 14th at 1:15 am

    I only ever post through the WordPress app! #PhoneAddict

    Liked by 14 people

  22. Prashasti Patel Dec 14th at 3:39 am

    Thank you for sharing. 👍

    Liked by 9 people

  23. marygabynl Dec 14th at 3:40 am

    I love it!!! Thanks 🙂

    Liked by 9 people

  24. appletomypiee Dec 14th at 4:51 am

    Thank you soo much

    Liked by 8 people

  25. Arun Sathiya Dec 14th at 5:27 am

    Thanks for bringing back support on the mobile apps!

    Liked by 9 people

  26. mistimaan Dec 14th at 6:23 am

    Thanks for the post

    Liked by 7 people

  27. Ravisingh Dec 14th at 6:51 am

    Thanks for sharing this useful info.I would go for it.

    Liked by 8 people

  28. susanacano Dec 14th at 7:15 am

    Very interesting. I usually update my blog by my smartphone. Thank you for this post 🙂

    Liked by 9 people

  29. ahangerkhurshid Dec 14th at 9:37 am

    i love wp android app! its so smooth!

    Liked by 7 people

  30. vibslife Dec 14th at 10:01 am

    I tried it. It is really helpful.

    Liked by 7 people

  31. adhina05 Dec 14th at 12:49 pm

    Several month I used this app and I really enjoy it. Nice post!

    Liked by 9 people

  32. meinheels Dec 14th at 1:50 pm

    Been using apps for iOS and Android for a while now. Great for reading though I’ve found that it’s still been easier to code it all directly.

    Liked by 7 people

  33. Angga Arya S Dec 14th at 2:14 pm

    I use it ヾ(*´∀ ˋ*)ﾉ

    Liked by 6 people

  34. Nicole Dec 14th at 3:57 pm

    It’s not letting me add a new category in the IOS app 😦 keeps saying that the category needs a title, but I am typing in the title.

    Liked by 8 people

  35. jaimieweb Dec 14th at 4:19 pm

    Thanks for this! I have been using my phone a lot for my blog.

    Liked by 8 people

  36. jesarylcanbe Dec 14th at 5:34 pm

    I already tried it and it is super convenient for me especially i always update in my phone. thank you so much

    Liked by 9 people

  37. Lyagushka (Meirav) Dec 14th at 7:53 pm

    Thank you for working to improve the app. I use it a lot, and it’s already better than it used to be. Love being able to blog from the comfort of my sofa or from a café table!

    Liked by 6 people

  38. jay765 Dec 14th at 9:08 pm

    Thank you so much for this!!

    Liked by 6 people

  39. zaynab6 Dec 14th at 11:41 pm

    Thanks for giving so much information plus i love the app

    Liked by 8 people

  40. lulu Dec 15th at 1:42 am

    It would be nice if the app let us center the text.

    Liked by 8 people

  41. doctressdiaries Dec 15th at 6:27 am

    I use the app religiously. But your post made my life easier! Thanks…

    Liked by 9 people

  42. nesha e´ Dec 15th at 8:52 pm

    Great and thank you for your hard work … I really write a lot on my android even though I always publish them when I touch my desktop. But maybe the time for me to blogging only by smartphone will come true considering the app now is getting better and better. ♥

    Liked by 8 people

  43. saurabh Dec 16th at 2:28 am

    Great ideas to keep blogging through mobile devices.Great stuff! Now I am Learning how to do this with my tablet.

    Liked by 6 people

  44. michounslow Dec 16th at 2:32 am

    I have been trying to balance a blog with other social media so I was so happy when I found the app today and downloaded it. I was just going to ask how to find draft posts because I need to work on those on the go but a little looking around in the 10 minutes I’ve had to app and I found it. So user-friendly! Can’t wait to explore more.

    Liked by 5 people

  45. momsjustknow Dec 16th at 10:21 am

    How can i share directly to instagram from the app

    Liked by 3 people

  46. Papyrus and Peppermint Dec 16th at 6:32 pm

    Much easier! Thank you x

    Liked by 4 people

  47. Destination>Differentville Dec 17th at 2:24 am

    Wish it was easier to run two blogs from the app. Posting and stats is okay, but also need a seperate reader and commenting for each. Just about to uninstall it to try and set up one blog on phone, one on tablet. Wish me luck.

    Liked by 3 people

  48. timpollari Dec 17th at 5:13 am

    Great Post, I really enjoyed reading excellent tips, many thanks… 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  49. deepanilamani Dec 18th at 11:03 am

    Thank you so much for the new tips and information 🙂

    Liked by 6 people

  50. 💖 Cam's Tech 💖 Dec 19th at 11:22 pm

    Does the customizer work on a phone, or is it better to use a computer? Thanks

    Liked by 5 people

  51. ljpuk Dec 20th at 6:54 am

    Great app, I’d like to see a ‘are you sure you want to publish’ dialog. Too easy to tap publish by mistake when tying to add tags to your post.

    Liked by 7 people

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