The LinkedIn iPad App has been completely revamped.
According to LinkedIn, in the third quarter of 2013, mobile accounted for 38% of unique visiting members. Members who use LinkedIn on mobile and desktop are 2.5 times more active than those who use desktop only.
The new app has a number of changes:
1. The navigation bar at the top allows you to get round LinkedIn more easily. You can access the bar at any time by clicking the blue LinkedIn icon or swiping down from the top bar.
2. In general there is a greater emphasis on images. More of an image is shown on the iPad app. Look at the difference between how this update is displayed on the iPad app
compared to the same update on the desktop version
3. It doesn’t seem to be possible to change what type of updates you wish to see. For example on the desktop version I have chosen not to see connections but these are displayed by default on the app.
4. New connections are displayed with a + button to encourage you to connect. Pressing the + button sends an automatic invite – it does not allow you to customise it. Or you can swipe to the right to invite (easy to do by mistake).
5. When you add a comment to a post, you need to press the Send button for it to get posted. If you press enter / hide keyboard or anything else the comment is deleted and not posted.
6. To add a new status update, click the comment icon in the top right of the news feed. Entering a website or page link does not currently convert to a link and there doesn’t seem a way of adding a link.
7. You cannot update a Company Page from the App
8. You can post to a group but still cannot see any of the Group tabs so can’t analyse the profile of a group, see promotions, etc.
9. It is much easier to see who has viewed your profile on the app.
10. You can review updates from influencers and channels from the LinkedIn Today functionality.
11. The search function is much more like the desktop version – you can search by People, Jobs, Companies or Groups in the same way. You do not get the advanced search features.
12. Jobs is now on the iPad app so you can view the Jobs listings on the move.
What do you think? Do you use your iPad or other mobile device to look at LinkedIn?
The feature I’d use most with LinkedIn for ipad is group management, if it existed. I need to be able to approve requests to join, discussion posts from new members, etc. I pride myself on responding to requests to join within 24 hours. If I have to access LI through my browser to manage my group, I might as well just stay there. The app is useless if you can’t perform the function that is most important to you.