Mastodon, the decentralized social network, has updated its official Android app to allow users to easily share their profiles with QR codes. This could be useful in busy places like event lobbies and hotels for exchanging profiles, said the company blog post.
To share the QR code, users can go to their profile tab and tap on the QR icon next to their name to get the code that others can scan.
The organization is also trying to make Fediverse easier to understand for users. To do so, it has now added explanations about domain names at Mastodon's holding points. When you tap on a handle, the app shows you the explanatory chat box on why different username and server names. The app also highlights the username or server name in the handle when you tap on the explanations.
Image Credit: Mastodon.org
Mastodon has also updated guidelines for blocking and muting to explain the impacts of these actions on profiles.
Image Credit: mastodon.org
The new Android update also has some smaller updates such as a preview of a new link card displaying the author and post date; and user-friendly dropdown menus in profiles.
Mastodon is currently facing tough competition in the decentralized social networking space, as Bluesky was opened to the public earlier this month and also started working on federation. Mastodon users have complained about the complex nature of having different servers in the ActivityPub network. The company will need to work on making it easier for users to understand and navigate the decentralized social world.
