Reddit refresh reaches for relevance, ramps up real-time reading features

Reddit is a lot of things, but the most modern-looking app/interface on the internet it is not. Or, at least, it wasn’t, until a little earlier this week. The so-called “front page of the internet” has revealed a set of changes that will make interacting with others there a little more… immediate.

Detailed in a blog post yesterday, the user-driven information aggregator is bringing new features to all of its platforms. The browser, Android, and iOS apps are in for changes that, “…make Reddit look and feel more lively and in the moment.”

Building a better Reddit

Reddit is no stranger to trying new things, but its interface has lagged behind competing platforms in recent years. That changes now. The company has unveiled new voting and comment count notifications, a typing indicator on posts, and a new comment pill.

The voting and comment animations are prettier versions, designed to improve the dopamine hit delivered when you signify your approval/disapproval. They’ll also update in real-time, so you can chart a post’s progress without needing to refresh it.

Posts that have more than five readers gain a reading indicator that reveals how many folks are on the page at that moment. Similarly, a new typing indicator will make bashing out your insightful comment a more stressful affair by showing you how many others are about to hit ‘post’ on that exact same thought. But these indicators won’t show exactly who is doing the reading or typing.

Finally, there’s a new comment pill. This will, when tapped, reorganise the comments section by New and also show new comments in real-time. Because that’s what the app needs right now. More frantic posting, and the certain knowledge that someone’s replying to what you just said.

The effect of these changes will make Reddit feel more like a chat app like WhatsApp than like a place where you go to lambaste strangers for Karma. This will, hopefully for the company, keep people on posts longer and increase interactions across the site/app. But these changes are also only available to those who opt into Reddit’s new design. You can elect to keep doing things the old way, but then these shiny bits won’t work for you.