This section is a detailed explanation of all the available features in the Xenforo mobile app.
Navigation as a guest.
As in a normal forum, it is not required to have an account for visiting the forum and navigate through the public forums. The app works in the same way: a user can download the app from the store, open it and navigate through the different forums. The app will respect the settings and show the user only the public accessible forums.
User login/logout and registration.
The user can log in through the app, or a new user can register. For new registrations, the app will take into account the settings of the forum for the birthdate, minimum age, email confirmation, etc.
In the future we will implement single sign on features, like the Google Login of Facebook Login.
Our app uses a custom authorization layer, based on the Xenforo Rest API Keys. That means that the Xenforo API keys are only used internally on the server, and never sent to the client users, increasing the security of your forum.
Infinite scroll lists.
Say goodbye to the pagination for the lists of threads or posts. The posts are loaded dynamically when the user scrolls down. This applies to all the lists present in the app. The infinite scroll feature optimizes the data consumption and the loading times to guarantee a smooth experience.
GDPR compliance settings.
You can configure the behavior of the app in relation to the GDPR Settings. This affects the configuration for the Admob ads, the Firebase Crashlytics reports, and Firebase Analytics and Google analytics reports. Following variants are available:
- Opt-in mode: The above services are disabled by default when first installing the app, and the user has to opt-in for each of them. No personalized ads will be shown unless the user agrees. And no crash reports or analytics will be recorded. This is the most aggressive version and the most GDPR compliant.
- Opt-out mode: This modality works the way around than the previous one: all services are enabled, and the user has to disable them in the settings.
The user has always the possibility to change the settings regarding his privacy in the settings screen of the app.
Posting and reply to threads.
The user can post new threads and answer existing threads. The permissions that the user has for each forum/thread take into account. It is possible to upload images and videos as attachments, and the settings of the forum are respected (max attachment size, etc).
Images and videos rendered directly on the thread list.
If a thread contains interesting images or videos embedded in the posts, they will be rendered on the thread list to engage the users and make the appearance of your app cooler!
Upload images and videos directly from your smartphone.
Your users will be able to attach videos and images directly from your smartphone. They will be compressed before sending them to the server to decrease the data usage of your users, and improve the upload speed.
Languages.
The app uses the languages that you have installed into your forum, because of that you don’t have to worry about the translations. If your forum is translated in other languages than English, your app will be translated too.
Privacy policy and terms of use.
The app shows the privacy policy and the terms of use of your site and stores them offline (some countries like Germany, request that the privacy policy and terms of use should be available for the user without connection).
GDPR compliance.
Set up your app to ask the consent of the user before using services like analytics, crash reports, or show the users personalized ads, and comply with the GDPR guidelines.
Watch/unwatch threads and push notifications.
The user can watch or unwatch threads directly in the app. If the user chooses to watch a forum or thread and chooses to be notified with alerts, then push notifications are sent to the smartphone.
Like and unlike threads and posts.
A basic version of this feature is available too. In future releases, we will add the possibility to more customized scenarios for the like/, unlike feature, as the original Xenforo does.
Share content.
Share content directly from the app in other social networks.
Private messages (conversations).
The conversations feature is full functionally. You can start conversations with multiple users, upload attachments, and be notified with push notifications when answers are available.
Customize the appearance of the app.
Some settings are configurable, and you can change the behaviour and appearence of the app directly from your Xenforo dashboard.
Crashlytics integration.
The crashes of the app are logged in your Firebase dashboard, to allow us to improve the app and diagnose problems.
Analytics integration.
The app integrates with Firebase Analytics and Google Analytics, to provide you with the usage stats of the app.
AdMob integration
Monetize your app showing Admob ads on the thread lists, forums lists, conversations, etc. Add, customize, and remove ads directly from your Xenforo Dashboard. You can set up the app to ask the consent of the user before displaying personalized ads, and renew this consent when the list of ad provider changes. In this way, you will be compliant with the GDPR.
Engage your users with push notifications.
The app mimics the alerts from Xenforo, and when a user is subscribed to a forum or post, if the user has chosen to receive Alerts, then it will receive push notifications in the mobile app too. This is a better alternative to the web browser push notifications, which are received only if the browser is opened.
With the push notifications feature you can engage your users and make them return to your forum more quickly.
Engage the users to install the app with a smart banner.
You can display a smart banner on the header of your site, to engage your users to download the app from the Play Store or the Apple Store. Directly configurable in the Xenforo dashboard!
There is much work to do…
And we know it! We already have a very big “to do” list with improvements and features.
We welcome user feedback, whether it be bugs or feature requests. Though we don’t maintain a publicly accessible feature tracker, we’re tracking them internally. Please note we are unable to provide ETA’s for any potential features.
Send your feature requests or bug reports to us via our contact form.
