Thursday 7 April 2016

Following Blogs: Bloglovin' App Review | 26 Android Apps in April for the #AtoZchallenge

Bloglovin Android

Years ago I first started following blogs and RSS feeds with Google Reader. I used to think it was awesome and nothing would ever be better but then one day they announced they were shutting down and I was scrambling to find another service after using Google Reader for years and years.

Moving away from Google Reader was tough, it was emotionally straining but it also liberated me. The moved helped me clean up my lists and reduce the number of blogs I followed. It also made sure I never got attached to a service again, I learned the hard way that nothing was permanent. ;)

I started to use Feedly, which I also liked a lot and started recommending it. Especially since they went the extra mile to make the transition from Google Reader to Feedly simple and easy. But soon after, things started to awry, the apps acted up, free featured become paid and I just found myself not following my feeds because it was inconvenient.

That’s when I found Bloglovin’, it’s not the best ever but it’s the best out there right now (me thinks). I’ve been using it for a few months now and I’m fairly happy.

Bloglovin Android

 

What the Bloglovin' App’s supposed to do


 

The Bloglovin’ app is supposed to help you follow blogs you like, you can add blogs of your choice to follow, discover new blogs to follow, group the blogs into categories/groups, share blog posts on social media, and save blog posts for later or add them to collections you create.

The app offers a fair range of things you can do and the interface is simple and easy. It is laid out nicely and makes for easy scrolling and reading.

Bloglovin Android

 

How I’m using the Bloglovin' App


 

I use the app to follow blogs I regularly read. I’ve grouped them based on what they are about and that makes it easy for me to selectively read when I’m short of time. When I have more time on hand, I scroll though my whole feed.

I haven’t explored the discover part of Bloglovin’ and that's because just keeping up with the blogs I want to follow is tough and takes a lot of time.

Setting up Bloglovin’ was easy, I managed to import my feeds from Feedly, resorted them and cleaned up a bit and bam! I was done.

Bloglovin Android

 

My thoughts on the Bloglovin' App


 

Bloglovin’ isn’t the best, I think it could get better but it’s not bad either. It’s simple and makes tracking blogs easier. Adding new blogs and grouping them is a bit tedious but since I’m not constantly adding new blogs, it doesn’t trouble me too much.

It also has a community but I’m not much into that and I use the app just for my reading as of now. This is another thing I find a bit tough, I haven’t been able to understand and figure out how the community works until now. Something on the app also aren’t intuitive or maybe I’m stupid but I’m still trying to figure out all of the app.

But like I said, overall it’s good, has potential and does the job for me. What do you use for reading/following blogs?

 

App details and link


 
Bloglovin Android

Stars - ★★★★☆
Developer - Bloglovin
Devices - Android, IOS
Size - Varies with device
Installs - 500,000 - 1,000,000
Link - Android Store | iTunes Store

4 comments:

  1. I have been using Feedly lately, but I am not a 100% satisfied with it, so I might give this one a try... thanks!

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from

    The Multicolored Diary

    MopDog

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a very informative review of Bloglovin, which I have not used but now want to try. Thank you! Glenda from

    Evolving English Teacher

    ReplyDelete
  3. Most welcome Glenda. :) Do let me know what if you liked it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I used to use Feedly too but about a year ago I started to have so much trouble. Let me know what you think of Bloglovin' Csenge.
    I think there's an easy way to transition your feeds too!

    ReplyDelete