As you well know the Shabbat.com app has been released and is now available to the public. In this weekly column I will highlight the updated to the most recent build of the app currently available, as well as detail what you can to look forward to in the near. I will deep dive into a weekly feature in a separate column as well.

The app is a crucial puzzle piece to the mission of Shabbat.com simply because human social behavior has dramatically changed. The phone (now termed ‘device’) has become the first touchpoint for both social interaction and consuming information in daily life. Shlepping to a desktop computer, launching a web browser, and typing in a URL is now an old practice.

Shabbat.com’s goal is to build a kinder world allowing the Jewish people to connect for Shabbat and helping each other. Shabbat.com is unique from other social networks because it creates and encourages new relationships that live and prosper outside the virtual world.

This mission can be better realized the easier it is for people to create these connections. An app offers this great advantage. People are simply glued to their phones, and the Jewish people also want to help one another. Bridge the gap with the Shabbat.com app. Add it to your toolkit of apps!

App updates – What to expect

We will be updating the app on a weekly cadence with continuing fixes and new and revised features. We will try to keep the versions and features of both the iOS and Android releases the same as best we can. Many large production apps like Facebook and Netflix have adopted a weekly release policy allowing features to trickle out and bugs to be fixed without overwhelming the user base with updates.

As you’ve come to expect, the Shabbat.com website is entirely free with very few ads or solicitations. The app is no different and built to be easy to use and be overall helpful to the needs of its members.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with its features. Know that we have an ambitious plan to move forward build out features. And do not hesitate to contact me with suggestions or issues and improvements.  (I’m reached at ykoblick@tribextech.com )

In the next release…

Messaging improvements.

Currently an open conversation on the app contains the messages back and forth between two members. If a new message where to be created it would not appear in the conversation without a ‘pull to refresh’. We’re working on a chat-like approach similar to WhatsApp where new messages would drop into the conversation thread allowing for a real conversation ability.

We’re building the capabilities for push notification that relate to a messages when selected navigate you to the latest message in the conversation.

Improved Status Updates.

The ability to edit your posted status updates. Currently you can delete them in the feed. F

Full status updates with supplied images on profile screens.

Ability to present preview data relating to an embedded url. For example a website preview, Instagram photo, or YouTube video. This functionality is available on the website but not yet on the app.

 

Updates to the current version: 1.1.0

Version 1 takes the app out of beta the previous builds. As of this writing it is available for Android and is pending distribution in the iOS app store. Apple device users should expect an update before next Wednesday. Here is what’s been updated in this release (since 1.0.8 and 1.0.9):

 Profile Edit Capabilities

All aspects of your profile can be changed here. Change any existing mistakes in your profile, add an organization affiliation, switch instantly from being a guest to a host, or bolster your profile by adding references, and more. You can update your email or password under account settings.

 Change your Notification Settings.

We’ve taken a very granular approach to being notified for any scenario that relates to you. For example, if a Shabbat member adds you as a friend or if someone viewed your profile or dating profile. In all instances you can choose to be notified by push notification, email, both, or neither.

 Privacy Shortcuts

We’ve taken a serious approach to privacy and replicated all the privacy settings available on the site into the app as well. You can control your online profile visibility ensuring that it is not indexed by search engines for example. If you have any members that you are blocking, you can unblock them here.

 App preferences

Members have been asking for the ability to turn off the sound when tabbing through the app. We listened. While we felt this added a nice touch to the user experience – familiarized in Facebook on Android, this is the first app preference you can change.

 

 Additional Tweaks and minor features:

Added Non-Orthodox filter to advanced filters on global and dating search. So, if you’re looking to invite or someone non-orthodox you don’t have to filter separately by reform, conservative, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Improved Photo Viewing:

Improved image viewing on feed screen. Tapping on an image, you can zoom in and scroll around the picture. You can ‘like’ it on the spot as well. We will be improving this ‘modal’ with more detail, commenting, and adding it to the profile picture viewing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share the Shabbat.com app.

We encourage you to share the app with your friends. Select ‘Share the Shabbat.com App’ under the global menu (top right corner button on all tabbed screens) and the app creates a personalized email with links to download the app from both stores. You can send it to any or all of your contacts.