Recent estimates show that close to 50 percent of web traffic is from mobile devices. This isn’t simply people browsing the web on their mobile device. They are also using mobile apps and mobile platforms.
A major portion of websites are created using WordPress. The popularity of WordPress stems in part from the ease with which a person can create and modify their website. In recent years, WordPress has made a number of improvements geared toward helping people publish content and manage their website via their mobile devices. WordPress currently has an app for iOS devices and Android devices.
You may have questions about how you can use these mobile apps to manage your WordPress site. This article is designed to answer some of those questions. Before you start to build your brand new WordPress blog, you need a hosting plan. Finding a reliable, secure, and not too expensive WordPress hosting provider is not an easy task, but it’s necessary.
Do I Really Need the WordPress App?
Before the creation of the app, developers were making changes to their WordPress sites using their mobile phone. They did this in WordPress admin area. When you use the WordPress admin area, you will find that it is responsive and functions well on mobile browsers.
The WordPress mobile app is designed to take this functionality and responsiveness to another level. The admin area is not the optimal environment for mobile usage. The WordPress app is touch friendly and has an intuitive user interface that makes using it easy. It has a number of features that make it easier for bloggers to write their blogs using touch devices.
The Basic Requirements for Using WordPress Mobile App
You will need to have a WordPress website or WordPress blog prior to using the app. If you have a free self-hosted WordPress.org-based site or one that uses a WordPress hosting service, you will be able to use the app.
JetPack
On your WordPress website, you will need to install the plug-in JetPack. You will also need to sign up for a free WordPress.com account.
Once you have these things in place, you will activate the JetPack plug-in on your WordPress site. WordPress has a number of guides that show you how to install different plug-ins.
Once the plug-in has been installed, you need to follow the steps to set it up. You will need to sign into the WordPress.com account previously created, or you will be given the option here to sign up for a new account. This process will link your WordPress account to the JetPack servers. When this process is complete, you can begin to use the WordPress app on your preferred mobile device.
Basic Features and Uses of the Mobile App
Setting up the App on Your Device
- Install the app on your device (Windows, Mac OS, Android, IOS, Linux)
- Sign into the WordPress.com account you previously created. The app will connect your account and retrieve the information for your website.
- Click the continue button. This will direct you to the app’s dashboard. The dashboard is what allows you to manage your WordPress site on the app.
Creating and Editing Blogs in the App
- On the app’s dashboard menu, click Blog Post. You will see your most recent blog post.
- Tap the “Add New” button to create a new blog post. The WordPress content editor will open. Use the content editor to write using your phone’s keyboard as well as the formatting toolbar.
- Clicking the “Add” button will allow you to add images to your post. You will be able to upload images from your mobile device’s camera or from the media library within WordPress.
- To edit a post, tap the three dot menu located on the upper right corner of the edit screen.
- Next, select “Post Settings.”
- In the post setting menu, you can change the post status, add category tags, change the featured image, and make other changes to your post.
A nice feature of the WordPress app is the built in autosave. This will save your post on the mobile device you are using. When the editing process is complete, you can then publish or updated the post using the button located on the upper right corner. Now, your new or edited post will appear on your website. Use the browser on your mobile device to check the appearance of the newly uploaded site.
Using the New Block Editor
The WordPress app allows you to use the WordPress block editor. This feature is not available by default, but it needs to be activated by the user. To activate and use this feature, do the following:
- Click the profile icon located on the lower right-hand side of the app screen.
- Next, select “App Settings.” This will give you access to the app settings menu.
- In the settings menu, turn on the block editor.
This allows you to use some of the same block editing features that are available on the desktop version of WordPress. At the time of this writing, the number of available blocks is relatively limited. More may be available with future iterations of this program.
Admin Task Via WordPress App
This app allows you to manage some of the administrative tasks on WordPress. For example, using the “Settings” tab will allow you to modify some of the basic settings, including time zone, default category, site title, tagline, etc. However, this app does not currently allow you to adjust settings of your WordPress plug-ins.
A nice feature, when it comes to plug-ins, is the fact that the app will allow you to manage and install plug-ins that are available on WordPress.org plug-in directory. You won’t be able to use the plug-ins within the app or adjust their settings. However, this is a good future when you need to activate or deactivate a plug-in but do not have access to a computer.
There are a number of features that make the WordPress app the preferable option for working on your WordPress site via a mobile device. You will not have the same functionality as you would have when working from a desktop, but the user experience is a lot better when using the app as opposed to simply trying to access WordPress admin area on your mobile device.
Have you had a chance to try out the WordPress mobile app? What has been your experience with it? Let us know in the comments section below.
