Screenshot of Version 3.1 of WordPress for iOS, showing Panels & Sidebar

Today is an exciting day! A new version of WordPress for iOS was just pushed live, and it’s been dubbed the “biggest update ever”. It features a completely re-imagined interface for both iPhone and iPad that takes mobile blogging to the next level. It’s most noticeable on the iPad: a sliding panels interface enables you to quickly get to any part of the app and rediscover your content.

New Interface

As soon as you download the app you’re greeted by a new welcome screen that guides you while adding your blog(s) to the app. Once authenticated you’re taken right to the Reader, where you can catch up on the blogs you follow, find topics you like, and now use a friend finder to discover your friends’ blogs on WordPress.com.

On the iPhone you’ll see a list icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Tap or swipe to open the sidebar, revealing all your blog’s content, as well as the ability to upload a quick Photo and access your Settings.

On the iPad the sidebar is right there, the first panel to the left. As you tap items in the list they’ll open in panels allowing you to drill deeper into the app.

Screenshot of Version 3.1 of WordPress for iOS, showing Enhanced StatsEnhanced Stats

In the latest update of WordPress for iOS you can now view your full WordPress.com Stats right from within the app. This means more details, more control, and much better use of screen space. For the iPad the panel expands to the size of two panels for better viewing.

Reader and Quick Photo for iPad

The big, beautiful screen on the iPad is a perfect fit for the WordPress.com Reader. You can now keep up with blogs you follow, browse topics that interest you, and check out the latest Freshly Pressed posts. The panels interface makes it easy to navigate around and even visit the full site right from the app.

The “Quick Photo” function is one of the most popular iPhone features, and now we are bringing it to the iPad as well. Use your iPad’s built in camera to take a photo or select one from library. It all works as seamlessly and as fast as it does for the iPhone.

Friend Finder

Did you know you could use your accounts on other social networks to find friends blogging on WordPress.com? In the latest update of WordPress for iOS you can do this right from the app – finding your friends on Twitter, Facebook is only a tap away. You can also securely search your device’s address book to find your friends’ blogs.

Post Formats

Post Formats are an important part of many themes these days and it was time for WordPress for iOS to get the ability as well. By using post formats you effectively choose how your post will look once published (if your theme supports them).

Screenshot of version 3.1 of WordPress for iOS, showing Improved Comment ModerationMore Enhancements, Bugfixes, and Tweaks

  • New Post Preview for iPad: When viewing a post on the iPad, you’ll now get a nice preview of the post including formatting and images.
  • All-Around Landscape Support: Nearly all areas of the app support landscape orientation now, including all of the tabs in the post editor. (You’ll notice this on the iPhone and the iPod Touch.)
  • Easy Site and Dashboard Access: A no-brainer. We added buttons in the Sidebar to view your site as well as a Dashboard link so you can access your full WordPress dashboard (“/wp-admin”) right from within the app. Thanks to this you can now easily update your theme, manage your users, access your tools, and more.

In total over 180 enhancements and bug fixes made it into version 3.1 of WordPress for iOS.

Get WordPress for iOS

Download the app from the App Store today! If you’re on a device, go to get.wp.com/app and we’ll send you directly to the store on your device.

You can read more about the update over on the WordPress for iOS Blog, and make sure to follow the app on Twitter to receive the latest news first.