A number of organizations within the Wikimedia movement including the Wikimedia Foundation publish official mobile apps for mobile access to Wikipedia. All are available via the appropriate app store (e.g. Google Play, App Store, Microsoft Store, F-Droid). They can also be downloaded independently of any third-party store, from the Wikimedia Foundation's releases website, which also keeps old and beta versions.[1]
 | |
Screenshot  Official Wikipedia app for iOS | |
| Developer(s) | Wikimedia Foundation |
|---|---|
| Repository | |
| Website | doc.wikimedia.org |
Independent developers have also released many unofficial apps for reading Wikipedia articles. Some apps load content from the Wikipedia site and process it; other apps use the MediaWiki API. Some only display Wikipedia content, usually omitting some features such as categories and talk pages. Some allow editing.[citation needed]
Official apps
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikipedia apps from the Wikimedia Foundation are called "Wikipedia".
Android
The Android app allows editing articles directly from the app. It is available on Play Store, Galaxy Store,[2] Aptoide,[3] Cafe Bazaar,[4] F-Droid,[5] and GetJar.[6]
iOS
The iOS app also provides a read and write version of Wikipedia,[7] similar to the mobile web version. It allows users to share an article via Facebook and other social websites. It also allows users to find geotagged articles near their current location. It does not allow users to see categories or see the normal desktop version.[citation needed]
Windows
The Metro-style app provides a read-only version of Wikipedia, similar to the mobile web version. The app when used in Windows RT is incapable of showing moving pictures.[citation needed]
Kiwix
Kiwix has developed a number of offline apps based on Wikipedia content.
| Title | Description | Android | iOS | Windows | Other OS | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiwix | Free program to download a whole Wikimedia project and read offline. | Yes | Yes | Windows 10 UWP; Older Windows (x86) | Linux, F-Droid Firefox Add-on, Chrome Extension, S60 3rd edition, feature pack 1 or later can show ZIM files via WikiOnBoard | Yes |
| Medical Wikipedia (Offline) | Wikipedia's Offline Medical Encyclopedia. Based on Kiwix and developed in collaboration with Wiki Project Med Foundation. | AR, DE, EN, ES, FA, FR, JA, OR, PT, ZH | EN | WikiMed UWP EN; Kiwix JS + in-app download of any WikiMed language | only as content file (ZIM) in Kiwix or WikiOnBoard | Yes |
Unassociated apps
These apps were mainly developed to display articles and are often used on platforms for which an official Wikipedia app was not formerly available, such as Windows Phone. Typical features include searching for articles, bookmarks, sharing, or enlarging images.[citation needed]
| Title | Description | Android | iOS | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WikiNodes | By Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA).[8][9][10] | yes | ||
| Wikiwand | Made to allow easier navigation and search than the website or the site's own app.[11][12][13] | Currently invitation only[14] | yes | |
| Wikiweb | Wikiweb is a Wikipedia reader for iPhone and iPad that visualizes the connections between articles.[15][16] | yes |
Related apps
A number of apps for Wikipedia's sister projects exist. These include the Wiki Loves Monuments app, written for a 2012 photo contest, as an aid for Wikiphotographers. It shows a map of nearby national heritage register items, indicating whether Wikipedia had a photo for the site, and enabling quick and easy photo uploads for camera phones. It is not integrated with the official article display app. A Wikivoyage app serves as a pocket travel guide.[citation needed]
There is an Android app for Wikimedia Commons which is community maintained, and described on the Commons mobile app page. There is also an Android app for Wiktionary, although it is no longer supported and has not been updated since August 2013.[citation needed]
References
External links
- Wikimedia Apps - Project page for the official Wikipedia mobile apps on the Wikimedia Foundation's MediaWiki development website
- Wikimedia mobile web team works on the mobile web experience, different from the mobile apps
- Unsupported official builds of Wikimedia apps
