Reddit is rolling out new real-time communication features such as voting, commenting, typing, and reading indicators. Reddit has gone through several phases over the years with desktop users now being split between "old" and "new" Reddit. And as history has proven, a new layout doesn't always work. So rather than enraging a portion of the user base, Reddit simply offers options for both layouts.
For many users, Reddit is a combination of an RSS feed and a community forum. It's a way for users to discuss, troubleshoot, and post about certain topics. Have an unpopular opinion or a question about your new gadget? Reddit likely has you covered. And for the most part, outside of the new redesign, Reddit has remained largely static and unchanged.
Until now. Reddit has announced via a press release that it will begin rolling out real-time communication features on the new Reddit layout on desktop, and on iOS and Android starting today. Users should expect live voting and comment counters while browsing the social media platform. Users will also be able to see live typing indicators, in addition to reading indicators, letting users know how many people are actively looking at a post. Of course, this is all without having to refresh the page. And lastly, Reddit is introducing a new comment pill. So, when you're viewing a post and new comments come in after, you'll see a little icon that indicates new comments have come in. Tapping the icon will show all new comments, and highlight them in real-time. If you don't like the vote or count animations, Reddit says you're able to disable those. Of course, they'll still show up live, but you won't see them cute animations.
Better Late Than Never
These are all great changes and will make using Reddit infinitely more useful. Before, you had no way of knowing when new comments were posted, or if more upvotes were coming in without actively refreshing the page. And while it's awesome news for those who use Reddit's official clients, it's unclear if these new features will be available for third-party applications such as Apollo for Reddit and the various other third-party Reddit clients.
Of course, other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have had live reactions for quite some time now. While it's good that Reddit has finally decided to add such features, it's very late to the party. But as the saying goes, "Better late than never," right?
Source: Reddit