Medium launches Android app out of beta

After a month in beta, Medium is launching its native app for Android.

The blogging platform playfully announced the official release of the Android native app with a video of an Android phone literally being released “into the wild.”

Video footage shows the app initially reluctant to leave the cage, but eventually taking its first tentative steps into the world.

The Medium Android app runs on KitKat 4.4 and Lollipop 5.0 & 5.1 and requires users to sign in with Facebook or Twitter. With the app, users can create, save, and publish posts. You can also access your bookmarks, reading list, make recommendations, and highlight stories.

However, there are a few things you can’t do on Android that you can on the Web. For instance, you can’t see your stats. You also won’t be able to access the drafts you create on the mobile app in the web version of Medium. But the company has a plan going forward. In its next version it expects to add:

• Enhanced profile to see followers, followings, highlights, and recommends
• User blocking
• User and publication search
• Landscape mode for tablets and story writing

The company first announced the Android beta in late May. Medium also has an iOS app, which it introduced last year.