Reddit, the self-proclaimed "the front page of the Internet", finally has an official app. The company has acquired Alien Blue, the most popular third-party Reddit client for iPhones and iPads, and has also hired the app's developer Jase Morrissey. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
"We want to be able to have new features from Reddit.com show up on mobile faster and better", said Ellen Pao, Reddit's head of partnerships and strategic development. "With Alien Blue and Jase, it was getting to a point where it was too much work for one person. He was helping us, we were helping him and the fit was really strong".
The new app is exactly the same as the previous version, except for a few bug fixes and an updated icon, and is available for free to all users. Reddit is offering the Alien Blue Pro upgrade for free as well, but only for the first week.
Reddit says existing Alien Blue users should first download the new app, transfer the existing settings, and then delete the old app. To transfer your customized settings to the new version (including subreddit groups, filters, and Imgur uploads), launch the older version of Alien Blue and tap Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Privacy Settings -> Export Settings to Clipboard. In the new Alien Blue app, tap Import Settings from Clipboard under the same menu.
The acquisition comes at a time when the Internet landscape is changing, with more and more people now accessing the Internet through mobile devices than through desktop computers. Last month, Reddit launched the Ask Me Anything app, which makes it easy for you to browse and discover AMA interviews.
The new app is slowly rolling out, so you may not see it in the App Store immediately.