Announcing the updated Daft.ie android app

This week we pushed version 1.6 of the Daft.ie android app. It’s the most significant in a series of recent updates, so if you haven’t seen it in a while, now could be a great time to take another look!

Why the change? A quick bit of background

When our android app was launched in early 2011, it took the same path many other android apps did at the time, and was based very closely on our iPhone app, which had been launched a little over a year previously. This brought all of the functionality of the iPhone app to android users, albeit with a very iPhone “look and feel”. Over the last two years in particular, the android ecosystem has moved on hugely, particularly with regard to design and standardising of interface elements. Reviewing it recently, we felt that the android app was feeling a bit dated, as well as not taking full advantage of many of the benefits the android platform now offers which may not be available on the iPhone or iPad.

So what’s different?

Across the app the android action bar is used to make sure the key functionality you need is always easily accessible. Things like saving your search, updating your filters or swapping to a map view are now one click away, rather than tucked away in a sub-menu.

The search refine screen has been given a complete overhaul to make it easier to enter your search criteria. From using a slider to select your price to simplifying things like bed and bathroom selection, this layout should hopefully make it quicker for you to get from entering your search to seeing useful results.