Editing Wikipedia (section)

==== Mobile access{{anchor|Wikipedia mobile access|Wikipedia mobile}} ====
{{see also|Help:Mobile access}}
[[File:Wikipedia on Mobile screenshot 2019.png|thumb|The mobile version of the English Wikipedia's main page, from August 3, 2019]]
Wikipedia's original medium was for users to read and edit content using any standard [[web browser]] through a fixed [[Internet access|Internet connection]]. Although Wikipedia content has been accessible through the [[mobile web]] since July 2013, ''The New York Times'' on February 9, 2014, quoted [[Erik Möller]], deputy director of the Wikimedia Foundation, stating that the transition of internet traffic from desktops to mobile devices was significant and a cause for concern and worry.<ref name="small screen" /> The article in ''The New York Times'' reported the comparison statistics for mobile edits stating that, "Only 20 percent of the readership of the English-language Wikipedia comes via mobile devices, a figure substantially lower than the percentage of mobile traffic for other media sites, many of which approach 50 percent. And the shift to mobile editing has lagged even more."<ref name="small screen" /> ''The New York Times'' reports that Möller has assigned "a team of 10 software developers focused on mobile", out of a total of approximately 200 employees working at the Wikimedia Foundation. One principal concern cited by ''The New York Times'' for the "worry" is for Wikipedia to effectively address attrition issues with the number of editors which the online encyclopedia attracts to edit and maintain its content in a mobile access environment.<ref name="small screen" />

''[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]'' reported in July 2014 that Google's Android mobile apps have dominated the largest share of global smartphone shipments for 2013 with 78.6% of market share over their next closest competitor in iOS with 15.2% of the market.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Stone |first1=Brad |date=June 27, 2014 |title=How Google's Android chief, Sundar Pichai, became the most powerful man in mobile |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-06-24/googles-sundar-pichai-king-of-android-master-of-mobile-profile |url-access=subscription |magazine=[[Bloomberg BusinessWeek]] |location=New York City |issue=June 30{{snd}}July 6, 2014 |pages=47–51}}</ref> At the time of the Tretikov appointment and her posted web interview with [[Sue Gardner]] in May 2014, Wikimedia representatives made a technical announcement concerning the number of mobile access systems in the market seeking access to Wikipedia. Directly after the posted web interview, the representatives stated that Wikimedia would be applying an all-inclusive approach to accommodate as many mobile access systems as possible in its efforts for expanding general mobile access, including BlackBerry and the Windows Phone system, making market share a secondary issue.<ref name="nytimes.com" /> The  Android app for Wikipedia was released on July 23, 2014, to generally positive reviews, scoring over four of a possible five in a poll of approximately 200,000 users downloading from Google.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wikipedia&hl=en |title = Wikipedia – Android Apps on Google Play |website = Play.Google.com |access-date = August 21, 2014}}</ref> The version for iOS was released on April 3, 2013, to similar reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wikipedia-mobile/id324715238?mt=8 |title = Wikipedia Mobile on the App Store on iTunes |website = iTunes.Apple.com |date = August 4, 2014 |access-date = August 21, 2014}}</ref> Later versions have also been released.

Access to Wikipedia from mobile phones was possible as early as 2004, through the [[Wireless Application Protocol]] (WAP), via the [[Wapedia]] service. In June 2007 Wikipedia launched en.mobile.wikipedia.org, an official website for wireless devices. In 2009 a newer mobile service was officially released,<ref name="WM mobile added 1">{{cite web |title = Wikimedia Mobile is Officially Launched |website = Wikimedia Technical Blog |url = https://techblog.wikimedia.org/2009/06/wikimedia-mobile-launch |date = June 30, 2009 |access-date = July 22, 2009 |archive-date = July 9, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090709213341/http://techblog.wikimedia.org/2009/06/wikimedia-mobile-launch/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> located at en.m.wikipedia.org, which caters to more advanced mobile devices such as the [[iPhone]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]]-based devices or [[WebOS]]-based devices. Several other methods of mobile access to Wikipedia have emerged. Many devices and applications optimize or enhance the display of Wikipedia content for mobile devices, while some also incorporate additional features such as use of Wikipedia [[metadata]], such as [[geographic data and information|geoinformation]].<ref name="androgeoid.com LPOI WP 1">{{cite web |url = https://androgeoid.com/2011/04/local-points-of-interest-in-wikipedia |title = Local Points Of Interest In Wikipedia |date = May 15, 2011 |access-date = May 15, 2011 |archive-date = June 1, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110601092809/http://androgeoid.com/2011/04/local-points-of-interest-in-wikipedia/ |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="ilounge iphone gems WP">{{cite web |url=https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/15802 |title = iPhone Gems: Wikipedia Apps |date = November 30, 2008 |access-date = July 22, 2008}}</ref>

[[Wikipedia Zero]] was an initiative of the Wikimedia Foundation to expand the reach of the encyclopedia to the developing countries.<ref>{{cite web |last = Ellis |first = Justin |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2013/01/wikipedia-plans-to-expand-mobile-access-around-the-globe-with-new-funding |title = Wikipedia plans to expand mobile access around the globe with new funding |publisher = Nieman Journalism Lab |website = NiemanLab |date = January 17, 2013 |access-date = April 22, 2013}}</ref> It was discontinued in February 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diff.wikimedia.org/2018/02/16/partnerships-new-approach/|title=Building for the future of Wikimedia with a new approach to partnerships&nbsp;– Wikimedia Diff|website=[[Wikimedia Foundation]]|date=February 16, 2018|access-date=May 12, 2019}}</ref>

[[Andrew Lih]] and [[Andrew Brown (writer)|Andrew Brown]] both maintain editing Wikipedia with [[smartphone]]s is difficult and this discourages new potential contributors. The number of Wikipedia editors has been declining after several years and Tom Simonite of ''[[MIT Technology Review]]'' claims the bureaucratic structure and rules are a factor in this. Simonite alleges some [[Wikipedian]]s use the labyrinthine rules and guidelines to dominate others and those editors have a vested interest in keeping the [[status quo]].<ref name="Simonite-2013" /> Lih alleges there is a serious disagreement among existing contributors on how to resolve this. Lih fears for Wikipedia's long-term future while Brown fears problems with Wikipedia will remain and rival encyclopedias will not replace it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/opinion/can-wikipedia-survive.html |title = Can Wikipedia Survive? |first = Andrew |last = Lih |date = June 20, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/25/wikipedia-editors-dying-breed-mobile-smartphone-technology-online-encyclopedia |title = Wikipedia editors are a dying breed. The reason? Mobile |first = Andrew |last = Brown |journal = The Guardian |date = June 25, 2015}}</ref>