wefwef [alpha] — an apollo-inspired Lemmy web client

3 years ago by aeharding to c/wefwef

Hi there! So there's been a ton of work by a bunch of developers that are really frustrated with Apollo going away end of month.

That's why I created (yet another) Apollo-like Lemmy client called wefwef - https://wefwef.app.

Right now it's targetting iOS - you can still use it on Android phones, but it's untested. An Android theme is in the works!

So, why wefwef?

Progressive web app — It's easy to try, and works cross platform. Get the same experience on your phone, tablet and computer. If you like it, add to home screen for a like-native experience.
Open source! Self hosting and hacking is totally doable

There's a TON of work to be done, but the basics are there (browsing, commenting and voting). More to come soon! Let me know what you think.

https://wefwef.app

wefwef app screenshots

Porgey 29 points 3 years ago

Im actually shocked at how well this works! Never expected a Webapp to be this great! Do you plan to make a native app for iOS at some point? I mostly ask because a lot of my favorite features from Apollo (widgets was a big one, FaceID, lockscreen widgets) are afaik only possible through native right? I would love to see stuff like that in the long run here too!

Regardless, this is really an awesome PWA and I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

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zav 13 points 3 years ago

If there was an ios native app even half as good as this one i'd be sold, please make an app!!

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LazaroFilm 8 points 3 years ago

I decided to use this for now instead of the other iOS apps. It feels less clunky than most app. I’m still waiting on Artemis to come out of alpha to commit to anything.

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Porgey 1 point 3 years ago

Same. Ill keep Memmy and Mlem installed for now, I do want to support them too but at the moment this is the most stable and fluid implementation I've seen. Really damn impressed

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Porgey 4 points 3 years ago

For real! I would definitely be all in on this.

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kleinheld 23 points 3 years ago

I'm actually amazed how amazing this PWA feels to use. I've always been critical on web apps and preferred native apps, but wefwef absolutely surprised me.

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aeharding 8 points 3 years ago

Thanks very much! 💙

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richie510 20 points 3 years ago

This is just one more truly amazing experience in the fediverse. I didn’t know an experience this great could happen so fast, and in a web app. Thank you!

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aeharding 9 points 3 years ago

Wow, thank you! 😊

Lots of credit goes to Ionic (https://ionicframework.com)!

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richie510 3 points 3 years ago

Two quick feature requests.

Cannot see how to make a top level post on a community. I am commenting from wefwef here, so that is clear.
Can you enable a “pull down to refresh” in the web app? Maybe this doesn’t make sense, but for me in iOS, it is just second nature and feels weird when it doesn’t stretch and bounce.

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aeharding 6 points 3 years ago

Oops, I think you found a bug where pull to refresh isn't working on feeds. I'll fix that.

EDIT: Pull to refresh on feeds should be working now. Might have to open and force close the app a couple times to force it to update.

And new creating a new post in a community is also coming soon! 😊

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richie510 1 point 3 years ago

Pull to refresh now works after killing all and reopening. New bug, keyboard doesn’t load when trying to search. Maybe this is just my phone, but just want to share what im seeing.

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kratoz29 14 points 3 years ago

This app looks lit, it almost feel illegal to have Apollo like experience on Android LMAO.

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yads 2 points 3 years ago

Definitely looking forward to a more native android theme although I'm sure it's not a priority rn

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CrafterMeeple 12 points 3 years ago

Overall it looks great! Just a couple of notes: the colors for up/down votes being inverted from Apollo keeps throwing me off. Also, the save button doesn’t work. I don’t know if Lemmy really has an option for saving posts, and if not it might be better to not show the save bookmark icon. If I’m wrong and there is a way to find what I saved, please let me know where to find it!

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aeharding 3 points 3 years ago

Nope, saving is soon!

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xiph 12 points 3 years ago

Wow! So far the best client I’ve tried for iOS, and also the best PWA I’ve ever used! Congrats :)

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twistedtxb 12 points 3 years ago

It's now my favorite lemmy app. Thanks for your hard work 🙏

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fsponge 11 points 3 years ago

wefwef is looking great, keep up the good work! I love the Apollo feel.

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ali_g 9 points 3 years ago

I’m shocked at how good wefwef is already - I was not expecting something this good, this soon.

I’m sure you’ve got grand plans to develop more, but honestly you’ve made the transition away from Apollo (and Reddit) so much easier already.

Thank you so much and keep up the good work!!

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RuckusTraveler 9 points 3 years ago

Just found this app and it is sooooo awesome. Holy cow.

I had no idea a web app could be this good.

Great work!

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MetricExpansion 8 points 3 years ago

This is incredible. It feels so cozy being able to browse lemmy in an Apollo-like UI. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

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lucas 8 points 3 years ago

This is incredible. Well done, you’ve smashed it out the park!

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aeharding 4 points 3 years ago

Thank you!! 💙

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Smartboystupid 8 points 3 years ago

Absolute chad! I have used it for a while today, and it is great for us Apollo users. Currently back on default lemmy because it is a bit unstable on iPad, it doesn’t react well to scrolling yet. But I’ll be using it again soon :) thanks for the effort!

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aeharding 3 points 3 years ago

Yeah it’s a bit laggy on my iPad too. Granted, it’s older

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wavymoney 7 points 3 years ago

If this becomes a native iOS app, it would be a game-changer!

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pasiano 1 point 3 years ago

It doesn't need to be native.

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wavymoney -2 points 3 years ago

If that’s the case, apps may as well not exist. But apps still get made, because the world doesn’t work that way.

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pasiano 1 point 3 years ago

What would make it game changer compared to what it is as PWA?. Both iOS and Android users can enjoy being PWA without app stores.

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wavymoney 1 point 3 years ago

By “game-changer”, I meant in the sense of having the most functional lemmy client with the best UI in the App Store so soon after what happened to Apollo. PWAs are cool (good for small startups, less cost, faster update deployment, cross-platform thru web-browser engine), but they can’t or don’t leverage the strengths of the hardware/platform they run on to achieve that without a wrapper or native code. Spotify is a PWA, for example. I just logged into mobile Spotify and most of the core functionality is there, but the experience is better using the native app from the App Store. (I can’t even view my Library with mobile Spotify) Scrolling is buttery smooth, animations for transitions instead of sudden “pop-ins” and “pop-outs” or loading a page (like a web browser). Same with Twitter, or a majority of sites/services with an already established app. There’s a reason they all push you to use the native app instead of the web-browser version. It’s just better, and wefwef can only benefit from it. As a PWA, it’s a good solution until it’s mature enough to be native.

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liaizon 7 points 3 years ago

@aeharding this is so impressive on iOS! I didn't know a PWA could feel this smooth!

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Flyspeck 7 points 3 years ago

I just added this wen app on a suggestion and it's fantastic! Definitely the best I've used so far over the past few weeks, really improves the Lemmy experience.

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aeharding 6 points 3 years ago

I’m glad you’re enjoying it 💙

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stargazer 6 points 3 years ago

As someone who stopped using Reddit after Apollo quit working, wefwef is amazing so far! It really does look and feel like Apollo. It's very helpful with the transition to Lemmy.

Would you be able to add themes in the future like Apollo had? I loved using majestic purple.

Thank you so much for making this!

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aeharding 9 points 3 years ago

Themes won't be implemented any time soon, but absolutely something I'd like to add :)

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Callendor 6 points 3 years ago

Awesome app. Came from boost for reddit. This is so well done for a webapp. Made my move to lemmy a lot less of a hassle than I expected.

Oh yeah first post on Lemmy.

Screw reddits money grabbing owners.

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Hfjdjdjdjdkkd 1 point 3 years ago

Likewise. I actually like the ios theme, even though I use android

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geodim 5 points 3 years ago

I didn’t know web apps could work this well. Fantastic work so far. Do we know how Christian feels about this?

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Dick_Justice 5 points 3 years ago

Wow. This is so neat! Some of you devs are just so damn talented! Definitely going in the rotation with things I suggest to other users, thank you!

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aeharding 3 points 3 years ago

Thanks so much for the kind words! ❤️ It's been so much fun to build.

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spicecastle 5 points 3 years ago

@aeharding Is there a reason why the colours for up- and downvotes are inverted? It keeps throwing me off, especially because everything else looks exactly like it did on Apollo.

Also, would it be possible to add those tiny vibrations when you swipe do up-/downvote? I have swiped too far a number of times now and accidentally downvoted on first try because there is no haptic feedback.

Regardless, I love wefwef so far, thank you so much for your work!

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Tick_Dracy 5 points 3 years ago

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ClutchCargo 5 points 3 years ago

My first post post Apollo shutdown and am really happy with wefwef! Feels very familiar, and I’m actually excited for a fresh start getting away from the dumpster fire Reddit has become. Happy to be here!

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sma3in 4 points 3 years ago

my gf just asked wtf is wefwef, sounds like porn. explained what it is and now she using wefwef. really loving this early build and lemmy community makes this place even more welcoming.

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CreativeImpasse 4 points 3 years ago

Could you add access to kbin to the app? That would be great. Thanks for making the app!

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basskitten 4 points 3 years ago

Hey, this is amazing work! I'm using it right now as a standalone app on the macOS Sonoma beta and it feels really good. The biggest problem I've had with Lemmy so far is that most instances use the default frontend, and I just don't really like it that much. This is a lot better! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

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blade85 4 points 3 years ago

Works great on android 11! A native app would be super though.

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Cloudless 4 points 3 years ago

Thanks for the amazing work. Is it possible to sort posts by "top"?

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Truthstopiary 3 points 3 years ago

Trying out wefwef on iOS and Android currently. It's buttery smooth on both. Loving it so far! 😍

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liam 3 points 3 years ago

Been loving wefwef so far!

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brianala 3 points 3 years ago

This is amazing, thank you! I loved Apollo and I’ve been trying any iOS client I can find for Lemmy or kbin. Wefwef is so familiar I almost don’t miss Apollo anymore 😅

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Zephyr_0713 3 points 3 years ago

if an app is released, please add a function in the android version to switch between android and ios theme

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felixculpa 2 points 3 years ago

As an android enjoyer this work looks lit! incredible.

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hydroel 2 points 3 years ago

This is looking good!

Are you planning to support Android officially as well? Is it in the plans, still in discussion, or just a happy convenience that you are not specifically planning to keep?> Hydroel

Edit: alright, this is a web app, so it even works in Firefox desktop (I found out by total chance)

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Barns 3 points 3 years ago

I've been using it on Android and have seen no issues, works great!

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Foxfire 2 points 3 years ago

After hearing about wefwef a few days back I've been very much enjoying using it! I have no experience with Apollo as an Android user, but the gestures are very intuitive and already I'm using them way more than clicking. Now that I can sort by top posts it's become my main mobile fix for Lemmy!

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majere 2 points 3 years ago

This is amazing! Loving it so far. When theming gets more sophisticated, would love a compact mode with text titles only, no image!

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Tygr 2 points 3 years ago

I freaking love this so far! Made it so easy to find topics across multiple servers.

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zealtheseal 2 points 3 years ago

Wow, you nailed the Apollo vibe and feel. Incredible job.

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jwmgregory 2 points 3 years ago

Would it be possible to modify the sorting feature so that it isn’t universal? In Apollo, unless I’m misremembering, I’m fairly certain the sorting would default back to a set sorting function, usually Hot or whatever the equivalent was. It might’ve been a setting called default sorting method, again my memory is hazy and I can’t exactly go check. I digress. This was convenient bc oftentimes when someone sorts by Top, Active, or Controversial it is only for the given instance they’re currently viewing, and they intend on viewing a specific sorting method generally while otherwise browsing. It would be nice as at least an option, if possible to implement easily.

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aeharding 2 points 3 years ago

Yea, fix is coming!

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jwmgregory 3 points 3 years ago

Thanks you’re awesome!

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Laxaria 1 point 3 years ago

I would love a version of "compact" that hides all thumbnails. It makes for an even more compact list of text rather than dedicating space for a square thumbnail, many of which are just empty because they are text posts and/or just outward going links, and I do enjoy the visual cleanliness that comes from not having a variety of different squares of colors against a black background lining the right side of the text.

Thanks for all the hard work on this!

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jarvis2323 1 point 3 years ago

I tried making a new post with this question but it kept erroring out. So comment post is best I can do:
Is there a way to block some instances locally? Occasionally I see German language content from foreign instances (lemmy.de) as an example. Seeing as how I don’t speak German, would prefer to block the whole instance as it’s not relevant to me.

Using wefwef and I’m on lemmy.world by the way

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sennalonso1981 1 point 3 years ago

Its really good man! Will you make an app for WefWef?

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kratoz29 1 point 3 years ago

Does the save button is working for you?

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coconutxyz 1 point 3 years ago

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sheodox 1 point 3 years ago

Hey, out of curiosity, how do you host the official instance? Is it just running on a VPS or some other static site host?

I ask because I'm the dev of another alternate web UI (but for desktop) called Alexandrite, and I'm hoping to refactor and move Lemmy API calls from the server to the client in the near future to avoid scaling issues with rate limits and I'm just exploring my options for hosting if I were to not have a hard dependency on SSR.

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aeharding 2 points 3 years ago

Yeah, it’s a vps acting as a reverse proxy for now.

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khorvatin 1 point 3 years ago

@aeharding nice! Now I know what you do for fun!

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aeharding 2 points 3 years ago

What’s up Kevin 😂

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khorvatin 2 points 3 years ago

@aeharding just so excited that Google finally fixed the bug :)

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felixculpa 1 point 3 years ago

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cheese_greater 1 point 3 years ago

This post should have 2120 updoots ☠️🎺

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nocnoc 1 point 3 years ago

Hi is there a way to customize gestures?

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aeharding 2 points 3 years ago

Not yet!

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CreativeImpasse 1 point 3 years ago

Have you considered adding kbin accessibility? That would be great!

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aquarisces 1 point 3 years ago

Apologies if this is the wrong thread to ask but is there an issue with the app at the moment? Thought it might be my account so I signed out but even as guest I’m getting this error as attached

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aeharding 3 points 3 years ago

Probably just instance issues.

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aquarisces 1 point 3 years ago

Thanks for your response! Looks like using Lemmy.world directly or using Memmy (where I’m replying now) seems to work okay, I’ll just try wef again later

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faladorable 1 point 3 years ago

is there a way to set up “multireddit” feeds like you could with apollo?

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aeharding 1 point 3 years ago

Not currently afaik

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jcb2016 1 point 3 years ago

How do i self host and how do i get updates directly from you so my instance can stay updated? also do i need to upgrade my vps or will it just be me on the self hosted wefwef PWA or something?

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aeharding 3 points 3 years ago

It’s pretty lightweight, check out the readme. Info on auto updates with lighthouse too

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guyman 0 points 3 years ago

Why the shitty name? Any chance ya'll can change it when it comes out of alpha?

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