Substack Mobile vs Desktop: What Gives?
Why doesn't the mobile app allow writers to publish on the go?
The promise of Substack is freedom and flexibility - the ability to write what you want, when you want. The ethos of the platform is that it gives bloggers, podcasters, and writers a versatile option for not only publishing but monetization.
Yet the Substack mobile app perplexingly restricts that promise for writers. Vital tools like the publication dashboard and post editor are glaringly absent.
It's a confounding disconnect that serves neither writers nor readers.
Why offer an app in the first place without these basic capabilities?
Do they intend the app only for consumers rather than creators?
The lack of parity across platforms is disappointing for those excited by Substack's potential. Luckily, there is a very easy workaround.
The Problem
Substack is an excellent platform for writers and online creators. It provides an easy and accessible way for us to publish our work and even get paid! It generally has a lot going for it, and ever since notes came out, I have been disappointed that it hasn’t become the twitter killer some expected it to be.
However, Substack’s mobile app for iOS leaves a lot to be desired.
It works fine for reading, publishing notes, and engaging with other creators and communities via comments and chat.
But the mobile app doesn’t give you the access you need to the features that matter to creators. Namely, the iOS app does not give you access to your publication dashboard OR the post drafting tool.
Many similar platforms offer mobile apps that have the exact same functionality as their desktop counterparts.
It’s the 2020s. Not everyone that has a smart phone also has a computer. This discrepancy spells a major issue for usability and accessibility.
If it wasn’t for the following solution, I’d be pretty angry about all of this. Instead, I’m just left confused.
The Solution
In a relieving but confusing twist, mobile devices actually do have access to the full suite of Substack’s features. Just not in the mobile app itself.
It’s as easy as opening up the website in a mobile browser.
I have myself done this now on safari and chrome for iOS and it looks great and works just as well as the desktop version.
The Mystery
I am not a software engineer, but I have spent enough time around them to have a basic understanding of how platforms like this are meant to be deployed.
In many cases, a single webapp is built to be published as a website and a mobile app.
Common design choices are lifted from public code libraries. These usually change a left-side menu into tabs at the bottom of the screen in mobile view. It’s so standardized we barely notice it anymore.
And the fact that substack is full-featured in mobile browsers show that the software can indeed run on a smartphone.
So WHY doesn’t the official app have this functionality?
The only reason i can think of is payments. In some cases, mobile apps have limited functionality so platforms can avoid paying a processing fee to apple.
But that doesn’t make very much sense now does it? Because you can subscribe to a paid newsletter in the mobile app. That is where apple is getting it’s cut.
As far as I am concerned, it remains a mystery, and is ultimately harmless.
Looking to draft a new post from mobile? Skip the app and just open substack in a browser.
If anyone with a better understanding of web app development can enlighten me here, please feel free to send me a DM or comment below.