# List of Wikipedia mobile applications
The [Wikipedia](https://www.edgepedia.org/wikipedia) mobile applications are the official smartphone apps for Wikipedia, developed and maintained by the [Wikimedia Foundation](https://www.edgepedia.org/wikimedia-foundation) for iOS and Android, alongside a mobile-optimized web version of the encyclopedia. The Foundation introduced a mobile-specific version of [English Wikipedia](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-wikipedia) in mid-2007, released an iOS app in August 2009, and released an Android app in 2012.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mobile web | A mobile-specific version of English Wikipedia was introduced in mid-2007.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/) |
| iOS app | Released in August 2009.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/) |
| Android app | Released in 2012.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/) |
| Languages | Both the iOS and Android apps are available in over 300 languages.[2](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/05/19/want-to-read-more-download-the-wikipedia-app/) |
| Traffic milestone | By December 2015, mobile devices surpassed desktop pageviews on Wikimedia sites for the first time.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/) |
| Distribution | The Android app is available from the Google Play Store, F-Droid, the Amazon Appstore, or as manually installed APKs; Beta and Alpha channels offer pre-release builds.[3](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/en) |
| Offline reading | The Offline Library, a feature in the Android app, lets users download packs of articles in the ZIM format for reading without connectivity.[4](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Offline_support) |
## History
The growth of smartphone use in the late 2000s changed how people accessed information online, and the Wikimedia Foundation responded in stages: a mobile-specific version of English Wikipedia in mid-2007, an iOS app in August 2009, and an Android app in 2012.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/) The shift in readership was decisive. By December 2015, mobile devices accounted for more pageviews on Wikimedia sites than desktop computers for the first time.[1](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/)
In 2026 the development teams were reorganized into an App Growth team and an App Experience team.[3](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/en)
## Features of the official apps
The iOS and Android apps are designed to load Wikipedia articles quickly without using much extra data, show no ads, and offer a more personalized experience than the mobile web. They use local data to personalize the experience while maintaining privacy.[2](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/05/19/want-to-read-more-download-the-wikipedia-app/)
Named capabilities include:
- **Reading history and Places.** Readers can refer back to their reading history and use the Places feature to locate articles near their physical location, which is especially useful when traveling.[2](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/05/19/want-to-read-more-download-the-wikipedia-app/)
- **Explore feed.** The Android app's Explore feed shows recommended content including current events, popular articles, freely-licensed photos, events on the current day in history, and suggested articles based on reading history.[5](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en_US&id=org.wikipedia)
- **Saved articles and reading lists.** Saved articles and reading lists sync across a reader's devices and remain available without internet connectivity.[6](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.wikipedia/)
- **Offline article packs.** The Offline Library feature lets users download large packs of articles in the ZIM file format, a zip-compression variant for storing HTML offline, for data-free reading later.[4](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Offline_support)
The apps differ from the mobile web version of Wikipedia, and offline capability is treated as one differentiator that may improve retention of the apps relative to the web.[3](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/en) • [4](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Offline_support)
## Release channels for Android
The Android app ships through several channels. Readers can install the production app from the Google Play Store, from F-Droid, or from the [Amazon Appstore](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-appstore), or manually install current or previous APKs. A Wikipedia Beta app on [Google Play](https://www.edgepedia.org/google-play) lets users experiment with features in development, and a Wikipedia Alpha build, published on GitHub almost every day except weekends and holidays, exposes experimental features.[3](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/en) The F-Droid build is a separate flavor of the same codebase, built specifically for that store.[7](https://github.com/wikimedia/apps-android-wikipedia/blob/main/AGENTS.md) The Android app does not allow adding custom [MediaWiki](https://www.edgepedia.org/mediawiki) sites.[8](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android)
## Editing and contribution from the apps
The apps are not only for reading. A pilot deployment called Descartes integrated machine-generated short descriptions into the Wikipedia Android app: editors editing an article were shown two machine-generated description proposals, could accept, polish, or discard them, and could report suggestions that violated Wikipedia policies. In the experiment, more experienced editors were better at choosing which machine-generated descriptions to use, the first-beam solution was chosen more often and produced slightly higher-quality descriptions, and only 0.5% of editors used the report functionality.[9](https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07631)
## Third-party and offline alternatives
Readers who want offline access beyond the official apps can use Kiwix, a free open-source reader that displays downloaded Wikipedia content on [Android](https://www.edgepedia.org/android-operating-system), iPhone, and desktop computers.[4](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Offline_support) • [10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgFYFhXXok) With images and other media removed, the more than 62 million pages of Wikipedia amount to roughly 25 GB, a size that fits on an external drive or a phone, and Wikipedia itself publishes a Database Download guide for this use.[11](https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/save-internet-end-of-the-world)
## References
1. [20 years of the nonprofit behind Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/06/20/20-years-of-the-non-profit-behind-wikipedia/)
2. [Want to learn more? Download the Wikipedia app, Wikimedia Foundation](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/05/19/want-to-read-more-download-the-wikipedia-app/)
3. [Wikimedia Apps, MediaWiki](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/en)
4. [Wikimedia Apps/Offline support, MediaWiki](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Offline_support)
5. [Wikipedia, Apps on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en_US&id=org.wikipedia)
6. [Wikipedia, F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.wikipedia/)
7. [apps-android-wikipedia AGENTS.md, GitHub](https://github.com/wikimedia/apps-android-wikipedia/blob/main/AGENTS.md)
8. [Wikimedia Apps/Team/Android, MediaWiki](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Team/Android)
9. [Integrating Machine-Generated Short Descriptions into the Wikipedia Android App: A Pilot Deployment of Descartes, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07631)
10. [How to Download Wikipedia Offline Android & iPhone, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgFYFhXXok)
11. [How I saved the internet on a portable SSD for World Backup Day, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/save-internet-end-of-the-world)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Software and programming › Named software products and platforms › Web servers and content platforms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license