AstroBin mobile app beta version now available for testing

Help Needed
Salvatore IoveneNicolas PuigDavid DeShanBob Meincke
• AstroBin Beta Testers •41 replies•413 views
Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

Hi everyone,

The first beta version of the AstroBin mobile app is ready and is rolling out to you members of the Beta Testers group now.

This is the AstroBin web app packaged as a mobile app, designed to offer a smoother mobile experience. It is already fully usable. The purpose of this beta is to catch real, app specific problems, not to redesign or re-litigate features.

How to get it

Open AstroBin from a mobile browser (supported: Safari or Chrome on iOS, Chrome on Android). You will be prompted within a few seconds. If not, look for the “Install” entry in the main menu.

If it's not there, it will be soon, as the feature rolls out. If it's still not there, say, tomorrow, please let me know.

Technology notes

This app does not go through the App Store or Play Store. It is a modern web based app that can be safely installed directly from the AstroBin website. No sideloading, no profiles, no special permissions, and no additional risks compared to using AstroBin in a browser.

Updates are automatic and instant, without store approvals.

What feedback is useful

Please report only issues that are specific to the mobile app, for example:

  • crashes or freezes

  • navigation problems

  • gestures not behaving correctly

  • visual or layout glitches

  • behavior that differs from using AstroBin on desktop in a browser

General feature requests, design preferences, or long standing AstroBin quirks are outside the scope of this beta.

Removing the app

If you previously installed AstroBin this way and want to reset or remove it:

  • on iOS, remove it like any other app from the home screen

  • on Android, uninstall it from the app list or system settings

You can always reinstall it later from the website.

Thanks for helping validate this rollout with focused, practical feedback.

Clear skies,

Salvatore

Well Written Helpful Engaging
framoro avatar
framoro avatar

Thanks Salvatore.

Will go through it.

Francesco

Igor Koprowicz avatar
Igor Koprowicz avatar

Testing right now :))

Igor

Bob Meincke avatar
Bob Meincke avatar

Loaded just fine on IOS. I didn’t try any other browser than Chrome, had to download it since I’m not a huge Chrome fan, working well though!

Thanks and CS

Bob

Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

Bob Meincke · Jan 15, 2026 at 07:31 PM

had to download it since I’m not a huge Chrome fan

Safari, default iOS browser, would’ve been fine. Thanks for testing and please let me know of you spot any layout issues!

Larry Cable avatar
Larry Cable avatar

installed on both iOS and Android successfully! 👍️

Bob Meincke avatar
Bob Meincke avatar

Will do

framoro avatar
framoro avatar

Installed easily on ios and working fine.

All features seem to work so far.

Experience quite user-friendly and intuitive.

Looks a great addition.

David DeShan avatar
David DeShan avatar

Installed and works great on my iPad and iPhone!

David

Miguel G. avatar
Miguel G. avatar

installed and working!

Joe Matthews avatar
Joe Matthews avatar

Installed on my iPad (with iPadOS 26.3) without issue. I really like the Astrobin Web app.

Joe Matthews

David DeShan avatar
David DeShan avatar

Hymn, compared to going to Astrobin.com on my iPad, the app seems much slower.

Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

David DeShan · Jan 16, 2026, 01:47 AM

Hymn, compared to going to Astrobin.com on my iPad, the app seems much slower.

Hi David,

could you test back to back again? I wonder if it was a momentary network issue that has nothing to do with the app. I don't see how that's possible because the app and the website are literally the same thing.

Konstantin Firsov avatar
Konstantin Firsov avatar

Just have installed the app on Android, it works OK! But…
The “Install App” menu item is unavailable when old-style gallery is on. Had to toggle to the New Gallery Experience to see it.
Still missing image summary when long-tapping the thumbnail on the Global Stream in the app with the New Gallery Experience. Don’t know how about other folks here, but as for me this option is very useful especially on a mobile device. Nice that old-style gallery is still available in the app.

CS Konstantin

Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

Konstantin Firsov · Jan 16, 2026, 07:42 AM

Still missing image summary when long-tapping the thumbnail on the Global Stream in the app with the New Gallery Experience.

Thanks, this is now available in the app. Search page, “recent images” feed on the home page, and galleries. Long-tap for 400 ms or more to reveal the information that on a computer would appear on mouse-hover.

Well Written Helpful Concise
Dominik Weinbrenner avatar
Dominik Weinbrenner avatar

The scrolling behaviour in the forums tab is a bit ‘nervous’ when reaching the end of the page:

Scrolling

David DeShan avatar
David DeShan avatar

Salvatore Iovene · Jan 16, 2026 at 06:42 AM

David DeShan · Jan 16, 2026, 01:47 AM

Hymn, compared to going to Astrobin.com on my iPad, the app seems much slower.

Hi David,

could you test back to back again? I wonder if it was a momentary network issue that has nothing to do with the app. I don't see how that's possible because the app and the website are literally the same thing.

It seems to be working faster today, maybe it was a network glitch.

Bob Meincke avatar
Bob Meincke avatar

Don’t think I’ve ever seen this before on the browser based. 📷 IMG_1900.pngIMG_1900.png

Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

Thanks Bob. There are no functional differences between the browser-based version and the app, so the only things to look out for are layout issues.

Try the retry buttons and let me know privately if you need help with that!

Well Written Respectful
Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

Dominik Weinbrenner · Jan 16, 2026, 12:49 PM

The scrolling behaviour in the forums tab is a bit ‘nervous’ when reaching the end of the page:

Scrolling

Thanks, should be better now. I made it so the header/footer don't autohide if the scrollable content is not that tall, and removed stickiness from one of the forum headers.

Well Written
David DeShan avatar
David DeShan avatar

It is rather funny on my iPad. In the safari browser, the site is very responsive. In the app, when I try to go to Notifications, it just freezes. Rather frustrating. This is what I experienced yesterday. I went there again in the app and it froze. I went to the browser and it was very responsive. I closed the app and relaunched and it froze. I went back to the browser and it was fine.

Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

David DeShan · Jan 17, 2026 at 02:08 AM

It is rather funny on my iPad. In the safari browser, the site is very responsive. In the app, when I try to go to Notifications, it just freezes. Rather frustrating. This is what I experienced yesterday. I went there again in the app and it froze. I went to the browser and it was very responsive. I closed the app and relaunched and it froze. I went back to the browser and it was fine.

Thanks, I’ll take a look. What iPad model is it, exactly? Where are you (what page of the site) when you two on the bell icon? Also, can you describe what you mean with “it just freezes”? Does the notifications panel open but is not responsive? Can you then close it? Or does it not open at all? Is the rest of the app responsive if that happens?

Sorry about the load of questions!

EDIT: might be a found the reason without you needing to answer these questions. A tentative fix is deploying, please try again starting about 9am UTC today Jan 17th. To get the update, make sure to exit the app by swiping it away and enter it again. Alternatively, click on the logo until you see that the whole page reloads.

Thanks!

Helpful Supportive
Nicolas Puig avatar
Nicolas Puig avatar

Hi,

The app works well on Android, however, the zoom on the images at the top of the screen often remains at values ​​like 0.05x instead of displaying 1.0x. I think that's a small bug? Also, it's impossible to properly display the entire Astrophotographers list page because everything is hidden from about halfway through.

But I love the new interface.

Thanks

Salvatore Iovene avatar
Salvatore Iovene avatar

Nicolas Puig · Jan 17, 2026, 08:24 AM

The app works well on Android, however, the zoom on the images at the top of the screen often remains at values ​​like 0.05x instead of displaying 1.0x.

Hi Nicolas,

do you mean that you can zoom in just fine, but the value doesn't change? What devices is this exactly? Thanks!

Well Written
Nicolas Puig avatar
Nicolas Puig avatar

Yes, that's it, it's the same on my PC with Chrome under Windows as on my Samsung A14. 📷 zoom astrobin.JPGzoom astrobin.JPGZoom X1