Interstellar App

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An app for Mbin/Lemmy/PieFed, connecting you to the fediverse.

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Downloads:


Find and share your configs in the !interstellar_configs@kbin.earth magazine!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
1
 
 

Features

  • Context menu additions/changes; by @olorin99.
  • On long press, explore items open the community or user context menu; by @olorin99.
  • Add ability to search specific users or communities; by @olorin99.
  • Allow user to quickly re-login on Mbin OAuth error; by @olorin99.
  • Allow uploading images to comments via image hosting services; by @olorin99.
  • Reorderable feed sort/filter/view settings; by @olorin99.
  • Post layout update with reorderable components; by @olorin99.
  • Add ability to create thread and microblog cross posts; by @jwr1.
  • Add links for local and remote fediverse urls to context menu; by @jwr1.

PieFed polls

By @olorin99.

Support for PieFed polls has been integrated! You can both interact with polls by voting or viewing results, and also create your own polls. Please note the API for PieFed polls has not been stabilized yet, so poll support will only work on cutting edge PieFed servers (such as https://crust.piefed.social/) in the meantime.

User Tags and PieFed Flairs

By @olorin99 and @jwr1.

Support was added for viewing the flairs associated with a post on PieFed. Additionally, you can also assign community-defined tags to your own posts, either while creating them, or afterwards using the context menu.

User tags were also added to Interstellar. They allow assigning little comments (tags) to specific users, which help you keep track of who is who. User tags apply regardless of the platform or account you are signed into, so unlike flairs, they work with Mbin and Lemmy accounts as well.

Fixes

  • Fix app bar title spanning multiple lines for microblogs; by @jwr1.
  • Fix direct message page error for PieFed; by @olorin99.
  • Fix comment refresh on post page; by @olorin99.
  • Fix user scroll controller attached to multiple positions; by @olorin99.
  • Fix some nsfw blurring; by @olorin99.
  • Fix PieFed mod menu not available; by @olorin99.
  • Wrap post page in safe area; by @olorin99.
  • Fix navigate to reply from lemmy notification; by @olorin99.
  • Fix PieFed feed id not cached; by @olorin99.
  • Early exit if state is not mounted; by @olorin99.
  • Fix several mod actions for PieFed; by @olorin99.
  • Fix next page key not being passed to the paging controller; by @olorin99.
  • Fix accessing state in initState when not mounted; by @olorin99.
  • Fix search input focus on user/community search screen; by @olorin99.
  • Fix error when fetching new page and feed isn't mounted; by @olorin99.
  • Add non-empty database constraints; by @jwr1.
  • Only allow new chat while logged in; by @jwr1.

Other

  • Migrate to SQL (Drift) backed database; by @olorin99.
  • Remove Mbin specific language options; by @jwr1.
  • Set app user agent to Interstellar/{APP_VERSION}; by @jwr1.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/interstellar-app/interstellar/compare/v0.10.1...v0.11.0

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Features

  • Make several tweaks to the cross post UI, including displaying the number of comments in each cross post; by @olorin99.
  • Split account page into separate account and inbox tabs; by @olorin99.
  • Add a close button to error messages, and hide annoying ScrollController errors; by @jwr1.

Fixes

  • Fix major page refresh bug that causes infinite loading; by @olorin99.
  • Fix the setting for sensitive media not working; by @olorin99.
  • Fix AppImage build and simplify setup script; by @Samueru-sama.
  • Don't render comment children on the user page; by @olorin99.
  • Don't display und (undefined) language on posts; by @jwr1.
  • Fix PieFed never loading next page on Feed screen; by @jwr1.
  • Fix Windows build; by @jwr1.
  • Fix several PieFed 1.2 API changes; by @jwr1.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/interstellar-app/interstellar/compare/v0.10.0...v0.10.1

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Introduction

In the enterprise digital landscape, design and SEO often exist in silos. Design teams focus on aesthetics, branding, and user experience, while SEO professionals concentrate on visibility, rankings, and technical optimization. When these two disciplines don’t align, enterprises face significant challenges: beautiful websites that fail to rank, or highly optimized pages that fail to engage users.

To overcome this, forward-looking organizations are shifting toward SEO-first design frameworks. Instead of adding SEO services as an afterthought, enterprises integrate them into the design stage itself. This alignment ensures websites are built for discoverability, usability, and performance from the ground up. For enterprises managing vast digital ecosystems, adopting this approach is critical to staying competitive in an ever-changing search environment.

The concept of SEO-first design

SEO-first design is about building websites with both users and search engines in mind. Traditionally, SEO has been bolted onto websites after design and development were complete. This reactive approach often leads to costly redesigns, technical debt, and missed opportunities.

An SEO-first framework flips the script. From the earliest design discussions, SEO principles are embedded into decisions about site structure, navigation, content layout, and technical functionality. For example, ensuring that a new product category page is designed with schema markup, optimized internal linking, and fast-loading elements ensures both user satisfaction and search engine visibility.

For enterprises with thousands of pages and multiple business units, SEO-first design eliminates inefficiencies and creates a scalable foundation for growth.

Why enterprises need SEO-first frameworks

Enterprises face unique challenges that smaller businesses don’t. Complex site architectures, multiple regional sites, frequent migrations, and brand consistency across markets create SEO hurdles. Without SEO-first frameworks, these challenges multiply, causing:

  • Slow page load speeds due to bloated design elements.
  • Crawl inefficiencies caused by poor navigation structures.
  • Duplicate or thin content issues when templates aren’t optimized.

Costly redesign cycles as SEO teams are forced to fix what design overlooked.

By contrast, SEO-first frameworks ensure search visibility is prioritized alongside aesthetics. This balance helps enterprises attract organic traffic, improve engagement, and maximize return on digital investments.

The role of an Enterprise SEO agency

Many enterprises lack the internal expertise to seamlessly merge SEO and design practices. This is where an Enterprise SEO agency becomes essential. Agencies that specialize in enterprise-scale challenges bring cross-functional knowledge that bridges the gap between creative design and search optimization.

An Enterprise SEO agency can:

  • Build scalable frameworks that integrate SEO best practices into design templates.
  • Collaborate with UX teams to align user journeys with optimized content pathways.
  • Ensure technical SEO elements like Core Web Vitals, structured data, and mobile responsiveness are part of the design phase.
  • Provide governance across global teams to maintain consistency.

This expertise reduces wasted resources and prevents costly mistakes during large-scale website projects.

SEO outsourcing India as a strategic solution

While enterprises understand the importance of SEO-first design, managing it internally can be expensive and resource-intensive. SEO outsourcing in India offers a cost-effective and highly skilled alternative. Outsourcing partners provide enterprises with access to SEO professionals, UX strategists, and technical experts who can work alongside design and development teams.

With SEO outsourcing India, enterprises gain scalability—being able to handle multiple redesigns, international rollouts, and ongoing optimization without overstretching internal teams. Additionally, Indian SEO professionals bring experience working with global enterprises, offering both technical precision and market adaptability.

SEO-first design and digital marketing services

The benefits of SEO-first frameworks extend beyond search rankings. They influence the effectiveness of the entire digital marketing services ecosystem. A well-structured, SEO-friendly website enhances paid search campaigns by improving landing page relevance, quality scores, and conversion rates.

Content marketing also benefits when writers have optimized page layouts designed to maximize visibility and engagement. Similarly, social media campaigns drive better traffic when users land on fast, mobile-friendly pages that deliver a seamless experience.

By aligning SEO-first design with digital marketing services, enterprises create synergy across channels, amplifying visibility and ROI.

Practical steps in building SEO-first frameworks

Enterprises can take several steps to embed SEO-first principles into design frameworks:

  • Collaborative planning – Bring SEO professionals into design discussions early. Ensure wireframes and prototypes include space for metadata, structured content, and internal linking.

  • Scalable templates – Develop design templates that are flexible and reusable, while optimized for SEO requirements.

  • Mobile-first approach – Prioritize responsive design, fast-loading elements, and intuitive navigation for mobile users.

  • Technical foundations – Include structured data, canonical tags, and schema markup during the design phase, not afterward.

  • Performance testing – Continuously monitor Core Web Vitals and loading speeds to maintain user experience.

  • Governance model – Establish clear guidelines across teams to ensure global consistency in applying SEO-first principles.

By following these steps, enterprises create sustainable frameworks that minimize technical debt and future-proof their SEO strategies.

The role of the best SEO agency in India

When enterprises decide to implement SEO-first design frameworks, many look for expert partners who bring both design and optimization knowledge. Working with the best SEO agency in India offers the advantage of advanced technical expertise, creative strategy, and cost efficiency.

Such agencies provide comprehensive SEO services while ensuring that every design decision aligns with long-term visibility goals. Their experience with international markets also helps enterprises navigate regional complexities.

For organizations evaluating partners, Briskon can be considered as one of the potential options. With its expertise in SEO services and integrated strategies, Briskon is well-placed to guide enterprises in embedding SEO-first design into their digital ecosystems. This remains a suggestion rather than a promotion, but exploring experienced agencies like Briskon can help enterprises accelerate adoption.

Overcoming resistance within organizations

One of the biggest hurdles to adopting SEO-first frameworks is organizational resistance. Design teams may see SEO requirements as limiting creativity, while executives may view optimization as secondary to branding. Overcoming this requires education, alignment, and showcasing ROI.

By demonstrating how SEO-first frameworks drive long-term cost savings, improve user experience, and boost revenue, enterprises can secure buy-in across teams. Encouraging collaboration between designers, developers, and SEO experts fosters a culture where creativity and optimization coexist.

Conclusion

Enterprises that continue treating design and SEO as separate functions risk losing ground to competitors who prioritize integration. By adopting SEO-first design frameworks, organizations ensure that visibility, usability, and scalability are built into their websites from the start.

Through SEO services, Enterprise SEO agencies, and SEO outsourcing India, enterprises can build frameworks that not only deliver strong rankings but also enhance the effectiveness of broader digital marketing services.

Working with the best SEO agency in India offers additional expertise, and considering experienced partners like Briskon can help enterprises implement these frameworks effectively. In a digital world where both search engines and users demand seamless experiences, SEO-first design is no longer optional—it is the foundation of enterprise growth.

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Features

  • Add two more servers to the language-specific recommended instances list; by @jwr1.
  • Add tab for viewing and responding to reports in Mbin; by @olorin99.
  • Add page to view logged in users bookmarks (and bookmark lists for Mbin); by @olorin99.
  • Add a setting to adjust the global app animation speed; by @olorin99.
  • Use PieFeds api to mark posts as read when available (instead of client side); by @olorin99.
  • Add time based top sort options for piefed; by @olorin99.
  • Add secondary actions to each of the four navigation bar items when double-clicked (or single clicked while viewing the item); by @olorin99.
  • Display activity pub objects returned from the Mbin search; by @olorin99.
  • Add specific handling for back button navigation while on the main screen; by @olorin99.
  • Add a new chat button on the messages screen; by @olorin99.
  • Add debug settings and an in-app logger; by @olorin99.
  • Clean up existing and add more context menus; by @olorin99
  • Use Piefed's new replies endpoint; by @olorin99.
  • Allow swiping fullscreen images to exit view; by @olorin99.
  • Make several widescreen adjustments, including expanding/collapsing the side drawer; by @olorin99.
  • Add a reply inline option; by @olorin99.
  • Add default downloads directory option; by @olorin99.
  • Add NixOS Interstellar package link to README; by @JollyDevelopment.
  • Add extra top sort modes for PieFed; by @olorin99.
  • Cross post support with combined comment section; by @olorin99.
  • Add UnifiedPush distributor selection menu when push notifications are enabled; by @jwr1.

Feeds

Feeds allow a user to create a fully custom client-side feed by combining numerous sources together! Feeds can be composed of multiple communities, users, and even PieFed server feeds (albeit in a limited fashion). Feeds are disconnected from your account and are fully client-side, so you can manage and access them without needing to be signed into a specific account or needing to use server software that supports feeds.

In addition to (settings) profiles and filter lists, feeds can also be shared using Intestellar's config sharing feature. Feel free to post your own feeds on the instellar_config community. To do so, either go to the Feeds screen under settings, and then click the share icon next to the one you want, or use the share icon in the markdown editor's toolbar.

Due to the way Feeds work, it allows you to combine any stream of posts with any sorting method, so we have utilized this same functionality to enable full sorting options on the "combined" view (previously called "timeline"). The combined view is now basically just a built-in feed combining threads and microblogs.

Last thing to mention here is that PieFed feeds and topics are now supported (within the constraints of the API). If you are signed into a PieFed account, you will be able to view PieFed feeds and topics from that instance. You will also be able to create client-side feeds that combine PieFed feeds and topics. Due to the API constraints, you will unfortunately not be able to use client-side feeds that contain PieFed feeds and topics from a PieFed instance that is not the one you are browsing with.

Fixes

  • Fix image quality for Lemmy; by @olorin99.
  • Hide explore followers filter when not on Mbin; by @jwr1.
  • Catch errors from video media and display in the video player; by @olorin99.
  • Gray out settings irrelevant to the current account type; by @olorin99.
  • Fix saving PieFed user covers; by @olorin99.
  • Remove redundant inkwell from user screen; by @olorin99.
  • Login autofill fix; by @olorin99.
  • Get image details (such as width and height) from Lemmy and PieFed API; by @olorin99.
  • Misc fixes for PieFed 1.2; by @olorin99.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/interstellar-app/interstellar/compare/v0.9.3...v0.10.0

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Piefed 400 error (infosec.pub)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by wazzupdog@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/interstellar@kbin.earth
 
 

Been getting this error message for about a week. Lemmy instances load with no issues. Piefed.ca loads fine too.

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the main reason I use mbin in the first place is the ability to access both threads and microblogs from one account and platform. i primarily use threads but a lot of people and organizations I want to follow are on mastodon, so the timeline view is very helpful for keeping both visible without having to remember to check microblogs. however, because I mostly follow communities, not users, ans because the communities post much more often than individual users, the microblog stuff can still easily get drowned out if I dont scroll far enough.

to fix this, I'd like to be able to weight microblogs higher than threads, so as to make them appear roughly 50/50 compared to threads. I'd also like to be able to change the weighting to do the same for threads, for the obvious reason of not everyone having the same preferences as me.

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I noticed the test flight ends in less than a week and I do not see the app in the App Store.

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4
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Caveman@piefed.social to c/interstellar@kbin.earth
 
 

I would love an option to only view text posts. They are easy to find on reddit, with so many subs dedicated to them. They can get easily lost in the threadiverse though, greatly outnumbered by memes and links to news articles.

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I would love to see this as an option in compact mode! I can't deal with non-compact mode but I like to see the whole title.

I'm still pretty inexperienced in the fediverse, so I'm not even sure if this is a place to suggest features or if there's a better place to do so.

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I've already configured my piefed account to hide them in the web version. But they still show up in Interstellar. And there doesn't seem to be any potion to hide them in the app.

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order/layout of posts (piefed.social)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by viral.vegabond@piefed.social to c/interstellar@kbin.earth
 
 

Is there any way to change what I see first on a post?

Example: I'd like to see it prioritized like this if possible:

  1. Instance/community, original poster
  2. Title
  3. Media (Picture or video)
  4. Post body/description
  5. External link
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The app’s looking great, but I’ve got a couple of questions:

  1. What is the difference between the three options within Settings > Feed Defaults > View. There’s Threads, Microblog and Timeline options, but I can’t see what effect they have on the feed.

  2. When viewing comments, some replies are shown and nested, but others require tapping Open x replies. What determines whether a reply is shown automatically or needs a tap to open?

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I'm not sure if this is an app bug or an API bug, but just in case I'll post here.

It's been stuck in the same sorting of give or take 2 months' posts. I noticed it recently on the version when piefed.social support is enabled.

Other sortings works the same.

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I'm not seeing any of my notifications (posts, comments, or replies). I know this may be something that's still being worked on, I just wanted to mention it just in case. The app looks great so far by the way, and thank you for making it.

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I've just installed Interstellar and think it looks great. I've been using Jerboa and browser for Lemmy. The announcement of piefed.ca suggested this as a Piefed app, so here I am.

First impression is that I think I'm going to like it a lot - almost feels like RiF that I've been missing for some time. But - I'm finding scrolling really unpleasant - it's really jumpy, or jittery and hard to look at. I'm finding it so bad that I'm surprised it's not mentioned here or on GitHub, and I'm wondering if it's just me?

Version 0.9.3 on Android 15 on a Pixel 8 Pro.

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forgive my ignorance, in trying the different views and want images to be viable viewable without me having to click on them. is there a way to get them to fit by width and height?

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Features

  • Update password field with toggle-able text obscurity.
  • Add mark post on scroll option; by @olorin99.
  • Notification support for PieFed; by JollyDevelopment.
  • Add transition animation for posts and images; by @olorin99.
  • Add blur to markdown embedded images if post is nsfw; by @olorin99.
  • Move alt text behind button in bottom right of full image view; by @olorin99.
  • Add option to hide Feed UI elements on scroll; by @olorin99.
  • Add local feed view for Mbin.
  • Hide Feed tab icons in compact mode; by @olorin99.
  • Add a global text scale setting; by @jwr1.
  • Make the nav drawer persistent on wide screens; by @jwr1.
  • Add PieFed Community Moderation features; by JollyDevelopment.
  • Always show play button when video is paused; by @olorin99.
  • Hide reply button if there's not enough space (still accessible through overflow menu and swipe gestures).
  • Add support for handling post/comment languages in Lemmy & PieFed support, add the ability to specify a comment's language, and add a post/comment language badge; by @jwr1.
  • Use badge to indicate server software and show additional recommended instances based on language by @jwr1.
  • Add a server software badge to the account switcher and recommended instances that indicates what software is being used (Mbin, Lemmy, or PieFed).
  • Remove lemm.ee from recommended instances and add a few more general Lemmy and PieFed instances. Also add numerous language specific instances which will display when using that language in the app.

Fixes

  • Fix search input not losing focus when tapping elsewhere on Explore screen; by @olorin99.
  • Fix posts not being darkened when marked as read; by @olorin99.
  • Fix lemmy comments not loading for certain instances; by @olorin99.
  • Fix webview refresh bug; by @olorin99.
  • Fix numerous PieFed issues, including paging bugs.

Other

  • Translation updates.
  • Fix error caused by closing nav drawer before subscriptions load.
  • Update to Dart 3.8; by @jwr1.
  • Remove needed workaround used for AppImage build; by Samueru-sama.
  • Rename Magazine to Community; by @jwr1.
  • Support iOS and macOS platforms, a TestFlight is available; by @jwr1.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/interstellar-app/interstellar/compare/v0.9.2...v0.9.3

23
 
 

Hi. I'm using Interstellar with PieFed and can't figure out where my bookmarks are saved to. Are they hidden behind a setting somewhere?

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I see that there is a compact mode. But are there any other post views? On Boost I can choose between "cards", "cards v2", "compact" etc.

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Features

  • Add timeframe options for commented feed sort; by @olorin99.
  • Tapping on a comment now collapses it and the body text will be hidden, long tapping or right clicking a post or comment will display the overflow menu, colored comment bands have been added; by @olorin99.
  • Automatic and manual post/comment translation function, enable automatic translation in the settings or activate manual translation in the overflow menu; by @olorin99.
  • Add support for marking posts as read (uses Lemmy API for signed in accounts, and a local DB for all other accounts), add option to hide read posts from feed; by @olorin99.
  • Add option to hide the action buttons underneath posts/comments; by @olorin99.

Fixes

  • Fix post/comment swipe action not updating the background color when changing directions.
  • Update TOTP label text to make it clear it's optional.
  • Fix notification badge to work with larger numbers (more than 2 digits).
  • Fix YouTube embeds so they are placed after the corresponding link rather than replacing the link; by @olorin99.
  • More small fixes for embedded videos: fix consuming parts of autolink tag if link is not a valid youtube link,
    handle case where links to mp4s are treated as images; by @olorin99.

Other

  • Use specialized runner image with debloated packages for AppImages (significantly reduces file size), also bundle update data to allow automatic AppImage updates; by psadi.
  • Add mesa-mini and opus-nano debloated packages to AppImage (further reduces file size); by Samueru-sama.
  • Transfer repository to a GitHub organization (interstellar-app). The new repo link is https://github.com/interstellar-app/interstellar.
  • Create a WIP landing page for Interstellar. You can view it at interstellar.jwr.one, and the source code is here.
  • Start work on iOS and macOS support. Stay tuned for a TestFlight link!
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