What you need to know
- Discord's large mobile UI update starts rolling out a new four-tab navigational view on Android and iOS.
- The app now displays "Server," "Messages," "Notifications," and "You" tabs at the bottom of the app.
- The "Messages" tab shows every DM and Group chat alongside your friends' activities at the top of the page.
- The "Notifications" tab lets users interact with alerts for replies, mentions, and more by jumping them over to where they were pinged.
Discord is receiving a major update that overhauls how gamers and communities interact with one another on iOS and Android phones.
A Discord blog post details several larger app enhancements in the interest of creating a better experience for handheld devices. The most easily noticed change will be the revamped UI as Discord introduces a new set of navigational tabs: "Server," "Messages," "Notifications," and "You."
As a result of prior testing, Discord will continue to feature a user's joined servers vertically on the far left side of the app. Tapping "Server" separates the messages so users can quickly hop into others or switch between the multiple channels a given server may provide.
Users can easily start messaging in a server's channel by tapping its name or swiping over to bring the conversation into view.
The "Messages" tab houses all of your DMs and Group chats with a little more flair. Discord states that above your list of active conversations, you'll now see a carousel detailing what your friends are doing. This will display if they're listening to music on Spotify, playing a game, or raging in a voice channel Activity.
You can also hop into the details page of a DM or Group chat to quickly find shared images or videos, links, pins, the name of every member, and more. Moreover, users will see the profile icon of the person who shared a certain photo so they know who they need to "@" next.
The app has also introduced the ability to swipe a message to reply to it in addition to long-pressing it. For now, accessing the members' list of a DM or Group chat is accessible by tapping its name at the top of the UI. Discord states it's working on a much easier way to access this.
Additionally, Discord's search bar rework makes things much easier as users can scour through every DM and Group chat through this singular bar.
Discord reiterates work done with shared media, as users uploading multiple photos or videos (up to 25MB without Nitro) will find them organized gallery-style.
The "Notifications" tab houses everything from @mentions to Server activity, friend requests, and direct replies. Furthermore, Discord adds items in the Notifications tab are actionable, meaning users can tap a notification about a reply from someone and go directly to wherever it is.
Any items listed in this tab will automatically clear once you view them, as well.
The "You" tab is the last to get an overhaul with Discord stuffing it with your profile info, status, new profile icon upload option, settings, and friends list. Double-tapping your profile icon will bring up your settings even quicker, which now includes a new search bar.
The Discord app's major update wraps things up by stating a new "Midnight" theme, which features a completely black background, joins the others. The update refreshes the UI when users engage in video calls alongside some more "intuitive interactions."
Lastly, the post states the app now opens faster by "55% on Android and 43% on iOS." Discord also uses less data when moving between channels and servers, and the company expects users to experience less crashing.
Discord is rolling this update out today on Android and iOS. It may take a while before users see the update available on the Play Store, so continue to check throughout the week.
