Substack Authors Can Now Compose and Share Posts Directly Through the iOS Application

Substack has unveiled a new feature for its iOS application, allowing authors to create and share posts directly from their mobile devices, as unveiled by the platform on Thursday. Previously, the app served solely as a reading platform. This development positions Substack alongside competitors like Medium and WordPress, which already offer mobile drafting and publishing capabilities.

The inaugural release of the mobile editing tool supports text and image uploads, with future iterations expected to introduce more sophisticated functionalities, including the ability to synchronize drafts between the mobile app and the web interface. Although initially exclusive to iOS, Substack is committed to extending these capabilities to Android users in the near future.

Further enhancements, such as the capacity to schedule posts for future publication and make edits on-the-fly, as well as options for crafting video and audio podcast content, are on Substack’s roadmap.

Substack acknowledges the mobile app’s current limitations in comparison to its web-based counterpart but believes the streamlined mobile version will afford writers greater flexibility for content creation and sharing. This could be particularly useful for publishing spontaneous insights, offering glimpses behind the scenes, or maintaining engagement with subscribers through more frequent, albeit brief, posts.

To access the mobile editor, writers simply tap the orange “plus” icon located on the app’s home screen and then select “Post.” The app automatically saves progress, allowing for the inclusion of images and various embeds. Once content creation is complete, the “Next” button leads users to publishing options, including the choice to set a paywall.

The addition of an in-app post editor responds to significant demand from Substack’s user base since the app’s introduction in March 2022. Substack reveals that a noteworthy portion of its subscriptions now begins within the app itself, emphasizing that app users tend to maintain 50% more paid subscriptions compared to those who do not use the app.