Introducing the TexAgs iOS App

HOWDY, AGS. Well, the rumors are true — We have been hard at work over the past couple of years and are very excited to announce the new TexAgs iOS App!

It is available starting today in the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

The most common question we get when someone finds out we’re developing an app is: “But…why? The mobile site works great.” First, THANK YOU. We’re proud of our current mobile web experience and believe it’s the best in the industry, and don’t worry because it’s not going anywhere. 

Having said that, there are several advantages that a native app provides: Things like push notifications, the ability to control how video and audio are played and a faster and smoother user interface, amongst others. We felt like those things, in particular, were significant enough to take the plunge.

As with all platform redesigns, it may take a little time to get used to the interface, but if you’re familiar with our mobile website, you should be able to pick things up pretty quickly. And our bet is that you’ll ultimately prefer the app experience. One thing to note is that we have plenty of features and pages still to be added. You can see our list of known issues and planned development at the top of the Technical Support Forum.

As far as access goes, while non-subscribers are able to download the app and read free stories, a TexAgs Basic subscription unlocks the vast majority of the app’s functionality, including reading and interacting on the forums. You will need to subscribe or manage your subscription on our website — that process is not available within the app.

Lastly, we just wanted to recognize the hard work of our development team: Garrett Oelze (gman4455), Josh Oelze (ooshwa) and Stewart Wade (Stewade). All three have been working on this project for a very long time, but nobody put in nearly as many hours as Garrett. Being the sole software engineer for an app like this isn’t an easy task — he has been running on pure caffeine this past week trying to meet our release deadline. All three of us are thrilled to finally release it for y'all!

We have posted a list of frequently asked questions below, so if you have a question or need help, check those first. If you don’t find your answer there, we’d ask that you post a new topic in the Technical Support Forum as opposed to cluttering up other forums.

OK, enough talk! If you’d like to go ahead and jump right in, click here to jump to the App Store.

Thanks and Gig ‘Em,
Dev Team

Frequently Asked Questions

“But…why? The mobile site works great.”

There are several advantages that a native app provides over a mobile website.

1. Push Notifications
We have completely overhauled the “Watchlist” and created a robust, fully customizable notification system. So whether you want a notification for breaking news, recruiting updates from Billy, Ryan and Jason, or every single time Gary79Ag posts Longhorn tears, you can easily set those up.

2. Media Player Capabilities
One of our favorite things about the new app is the ability to control the audio and video player. You’ll now have the ability to do things like collapse the player and continue to browse the site if you’d like. It’s also now easier to play audio files in the background or watch picture-in-picture as you use other apps.

3. Improved User Interface
Another advantage of an app is a faster, smoother and more dynamic user interface. One big change you’ll notice is infinite scrolling in the forums. No longer will you have to tap the button to go to the next page — just keep scrolling! Everything should just feel smoother and faster: jumping in and out of threads, posting replies, switching forums, etc. 

Are you planning to release an Android version?

Yes! We are only releasing an iOS version today, but we built the app on a platform that will allow us to more easily spin up an Android version. We don’t have a timeline on that yet, but we will do our best to keep you informed. 

Who can access the TexAgs app?

Anyone can download and install the app! However, you will need a Basic subscription to unlock its primary features, including reading and interacting on all forums. As always, you’ll also need a Premium subscription to access Premium content and a Varsity subscription to access the Varsity forum. You will need to subscribe or manage your subscription on our website — that process is not available within the app.

How do I learn to use the App?

When you first open the app, a brief app tour will appear on your screen — swipe to the right to learn some of the basics. We also hope it’s fairly intuitive, and if you’re familiar with our mobile website, you should get the hang of the app fairly quickly. If you can’t figure something out, feel free to post a topic on the Technical Support Forum, and we’ll do our best to help!

What if I find a bug? Can I report that somewhere?

Before reporting a bug, make sure to check our Known Issues thread on the Technical Support Forum. If you don’t see it listed there (or another topic about the same issue), feel free to post a new topic in the Technical Support Forum. 

Why is _______ missing from the app?

While we decided that this version of the app was stable enough to release publicly, there are a few things available on the website and not yet on the app (Search, Post of the Day page, etc.). If you would like to see a list of planned development, check the stickied thread on the Technical Support Forum.

Will you be adding more features to the app?

Yes, there are a lot of features that we are still planning to add, and actually, there is plenty we’re planning to add! If you would like to see a list of planned development, check the stickied thread on the Technical Support Forum.

Why did my desktop site change?

Once you log into the app for the first time, you’ll notice that the desktop site’s header bar will look slightly different. You’ll now have a bell icon, representing your notifications. This takes the place of the binoculars (previously called the “Watchlist”), and that is where you will find any replies to threads you have bookmarked, along with notifications you’ve set up. Currently, you have to set up and manage notifications within the app, but eventually, you’ll be able to do that from the desktop version as well. As for the mobile site, it remains unchanged for now, and you will only see bookmarked threads and not notifications.

I have questions - where do I ask them?

If you haven’t found your answer in these FAQs, then we’d ask that you post a new topic in the Technical Support Forum as opposed to cluttering up the other forums.