The WordPress for Android 2.9 release is now available in the Google Play Store. This release includes some exciting new features, enhancements, and bug fixes.

Blog Discovery

Blog discovery is a new feature in the Reader that lets you:

• Find new blogs (based on recommendations).
• Preview a blog and read posts before following it.
• Manage your tags and blog subscriptions.

Publish Icon Button

We replaced the publish icon button with a contextual text button. Whether you’re saving a draft, publishing or scheduling a post, or updating one, this new button will display your action, depending on your current task.

Faster Notifications and Stats Refresh

We updated the Notifications feature to use Simperium technology, which will sync your notifications quickly and efficiently.

We also know you love viewing your Stats, so we improved them to refresh faster than ever before.

Interface Improvements

• Reintroduction of the refresh button in all refreshable views, along with the pull-to-refresh gesture.
• Pull-to-refresh tip bar has been replaced by a less aggressive, self-hiding message.
• Save dialog has been removed, and all posts are now auto-saved when you close the edit post view.
• Reblogging interface redesign in the Reader.
• Sharing image, video, text, or link via WordPress for Android now remembers the previous choice.

General Changes

• Posts and pages auto-save feature has been improved.
• Fixed bugs related to statistics (only affecting Jetpack users) and image handling.
• Reader improvements to fill gaps in time between two syncs.
• As we announced earlier, we dropped Android 2.3 support. Current (2.9) and later versions need Android 4.0 or later.
• New translations: Hebrew and Basque.
• SNI (Server Name Indication) support.
• Minor bug fixes.

What’s Next?

You can keep up with the development progress at //make.wordpress.org/mobile and can also follow the app on Twitter @WPAndroid. If you need support or want to send us suggestions, please visit our forums.