If it’s official, it must be on par if not better than third parties, right? Wrong. Imgur’s official Android app is anything but perfect, and we don’t blame the developers. We just hope they’ll continue to work on the app to make it better. That said, check out our impressions of the official app, and decide for yourself if you want to use it.
Crash and burn:
The Imgur community, if you don’t already know, isn’t perfect, and so are the developers that worked on the dedicated Android app for the popular image sharing site. The official app has only been available for a few days, but we’re quite sure that eventually it’ll surpass many other apps to become one of the favorites—if nurtured and maintained the right way.
So without further ado, here’s our take on the Official Imgur Android app:
First off, we would like to inform you all that the app does contain bugs, and it is very likely that the app will crash on you from time to time. Our test device is a Samsung Galaxy S3 (Qualcomm variant), but despite the device’s large user-base the app still crashes during our stroll throughout the app’s features. Considering Android’s fragmented ecosystem, we won’t be too hard on Imgur’s devs in this regards.
Moreover, expect ads within the app—which shouldn’t surprise any of you considering it is a free app.
With the bug report out of the way, let’s dive into the app’s features and functionalities.
Home screen:
The app’s home screen has a simple interface, and the home gallery is can be adjusted to the following modes: main gallery, random mode, and past images. With the main gallery option, the home screen will display images that are most viral, or by user submission, or by highest scoring. Users can also adjust the gallery to display images by their popularity ratings as well as in the order they were uploaded.
Individual images:
Viewing the individual images from the gallery is fairly straightforward, and I especially like the fact that the comment section is integrated directly right below the picture. My biggest gripe, however, with this portion of the app is that the transition between individual images is sluggish compared to other non-official Imgur apps. The added transition arrow animation is also unnecessary since most Android users are already acclimated to the touch gestures used to shift screens.
To comment on individual pictures, you’ll need to first login or connect with Imgur via other accounts like Facebook or Twitter.
Sharing Imgur pictures is also easy and straightforward. You can share the Imgur link directly from within the app using SMS, email, and even with Google’s Hangout.
Uploading:
If you’re a regular contributor on Imgur, uploading your concoctions from your mobile devices is also easy. Just click the icon with the cloud and up arrow and you’ll be directed to a screen where you can choose to take a snapshot from the camera to share, or upload from your local storage, or share from an URL.
Conclusion:
It’s hard to expect a perfect app from the get-go, but since this is the ‘official’ Imgur app we’re expecting a hell of a lot from the developers. All in all, there’s nothing overly complicated about the official app, but as I already mentioned, the app will crash here and there and expect some sluggishness when transitioning through individual images. In my opinion, Imgur users who are already using unofficial apps should stick with it for a while longer.
According to a spokesperson, an iOS version will be available soon, and a Windows Phone version will follow thereafter. Unfortunately for Blackberry users, an Imgur app for this particular platform isn’t planned for, as it is only considered as a possibility down the road.
The official Imgur Android app is now available in Google Play, and you can try it out for yourself and tell us what you think! If you’re inclined to do so, there’s also a feedback option which will allow you to taunt or praise the developers about what you hate or love about the app.
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