Reddit is introducing a series of updates to make it easier for users to share content from its platform, acknowledging that it previously “didn’t make it easy” to do so. As part of the update for iOS and Android, Reddit is enhancing link embeds for messaging apps and adding more sharing functions.
“Previously, when a person came across a post, conversation, or meme on Reddit that was so incredible and impossible not to share, we didn’t make it easy to send it to others,” the company wrote in a blog post. “If we’re being honest, the features were outdated, and it took multiple steps to share anything from Reddit. But that’s changing – in line with our work to make Reddit easier to use, redditors can now quickly and easily share Reddit content they love on other social platforms without compromising their Reddit identity.”
Now, when you share a Reddit link via a messaging app, the link preview will include a visual preview of the content, the subreddit name, total upvotes tally and the number of comments. In the past, the recipient would have to click on the link to see what was going on. Now, you’ll get a preview right in the chat window in apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.
The update also includes the ability to share content directly from Reddit to Instagram Stories without having to first screenshot or download content.
Although Reddit users are used to screenshotting posts when they want to share something on another platform, Reddit will now invite them to share the link via the share sheet that pops up showing users their most-used social channels as opposed to taking a screenshot and posting that.
Reddit is introducing a new toolbox that makes it easier for publishers to embed Reddit posts in articles or CMS platforms like WordPress. The company says the new toolbox includes features that outline the predictable height of a post or comment, more prominently display the community the content is from and display the total tally of upvotes and comments. That update brings Reddit in line with other social media sites like Twitter and Instagram, which have had this functionality for quite some time now.
The update comes a few days after Reddit announced that it’s testing Discord-like chat channels with select subreddits. With this move, the social network is trying to give more avenues for community members to interact with each other apart from the usual asynchronous commenting system.
