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Maniphest T424079

Allow pinch to zoom in the article webview in wikipedia mobile apps
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Description

Feature summary (what you would like to be able to do and where):

I frequently use pinch to zoom on the web (both desktop and mobile) to zoom into article text or images without relayout of the entire article webpage but the mobile app does not allow usage of this gesture. I would like to enable pinch to zoom in the mobile apps so users may zoom in with gestures when reading articles

Use case(s) (list the steps that you performed to discover that problem, and describe the actual underlying problem which you want to solve. Do not describe only a solution):

On mobile web and desktop web browsers browsing wikipedia users may zoom into content with the pinch to zoom gesture. This is not possible in the mobile Android and iOS wikipedia apps

Benefits (why should this be implemented?):

Allows a reader of wikipedia to conveniently zoom in to article content

Testing steps

Will be in Testflight 8.2.0 (latest build)

This is feature-flagged behind a new developer setting - "Allow pinch to zoom when reading articles".

Once that is enabled and a new article is loaded, you will be able to pinch to zoom on the article view.

Event Timeline

Folecr created this task.Apr 21 2026, 6:49 PM
Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptApr 21 2026, 6:49 PM
Folecr added a project: Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26).Apr 21 2026, 6:50 PM
Folecr moved this task from Tasks from Product Backlog to Doing on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.Apr 21 2026, 6:53 PM
Aklapper edited projects, added: Wikipedia-iOS-App; removed: Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26).Apr 21 2026, 7:00 PM

@Folecr: Hi and welcome! Are you working on writing code to fix this? If so, feel free to set yourself as task assignee and move the task to "Doing" on the workboard. Thanks! :)

Folecr claimed this task.EditedApr 21 2026, 7:02 PM

Volunteer PR for iOS https://github.com/wikimedia/wikipedia-ios/pull/5821

Folecr moved this task from Needs Triage to Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26 on the Wikipedia-iOS-App board.EditedApr 21 2026, 7:05 PM
Folecr edited projects, added: Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26); removed: Wikipedia-iOS-App.
Folecr moved this task from Doing to Needs Code Review on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.

I've submitted a PR and moved to the "Needs Code Review" column. If there is interest in merging, the PR will definitely need discussion so please let me know if there is a better place to move this to. Thanks.

Mazevedo edited projects, added: Wikipedia-iOS-App; removed: Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26).EditedApr 23 2026, 12:49 PM
Mazevedo subscribed.

Moving ot "Needs triage" gives the whole team visibility regarding this change.
Thanks for your contribution @Folecr !

Folecr added a comment.Apr 28 2026, 5:14 PM

Volunteer PR for Android https://github.com/wikimedia/apps-android-wikipedia/pull/6538

Folecr added a project: Wikipedia-Android-App.Apr 28 2026, 5:18 PM

I've taken the liberty of adding the Wikipedia-Android-App-Backlog project to this. Please let me know if this is ok?

Seddon triaged this task as Low priority.Apr 28 2026, 5:33 PM
Seddon moved this task from Needs Triage to Up next on the Wikipedia-iOS-App board.
cooltey moved this task from Needs Triage to Product Backlog on the Wikipedia-Android-App board.May 12 2026, 4:25 PM
Tsevener edited projects, added: Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26); removed: Wikipedia-iOS-App.May 18 2026, 3:56 PM
Tsevener updated the task description. (Show Details)May 20 2026, 5:54 PM
Tsevener moved this task from Needs Code Review to Waiting for Build on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.
GOlson-WMF moved this task from Waiting for Build to Design signoff on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.May 22 2026, 1:40 PM
GOlson-WMF subscribed.

Nightly 6067

Tsevener subscribed.May 22 2026, 2:13 PM

Don't think this needs Design Review, this is more of a Product / QA evaluation IMO.

Tsevener moved this task from Design signoff to Needs QA signoff on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.May 22 2026, 2:14 PM
Tsevener added a subscriber: ABorbaWMF.
ABorbaWMF moved this task from Needs QA signoff to Ready for PM Signoff on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.May 29 2026, 5:54 PM

Failing for me on 8.2.0 (6070)

Pinch and zoom is generally working ok, but around the lead image, it does not perform as expected. Please see the video below.

  • Navigate to an article
  • Pinch and zoom near the lead image
  • Pinch and zoom a non-lead image

The lead image moves as the user zooms instead of staying in place while zooming
Videos posted here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AMqaxwYvc8rEAmsdVsTYZRLafl-kBHnm/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/158Ipm-mLIW6N0AzoxAqroe9VqKl9M8Ij/view?usp=drive_link

ABorbaWMF moved this task from Ready for PM Signoff to Did not pass QA on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.May 29 2026, 6:19 PM
Folecr added a comment.Jun 1 2026, 2:28 AM

thanks for taking a look at this.
would it be ok to give me access to the videos?

Seddon moved this task from Did not pass QA to Ready for PM Signoff on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.Jun 16 2026, 5:40 PM
HNordeenWMF renamed this task from Allow pinch to zoom in the article webview in wikipedia mobile apps to Create developer setting for pinch to zoom in the article webview in wikipedia mobile apps.Jun 30 2026, 2:32 PM
HNordeenWMF renamed this task from Create developer setting for pinch to zoom in the article webview in wikipedia mobile apps to Allow pinch to zoom in the article webview in wikipedia mobile apps.
HNordeenWMF moved this task from Ready for PM Signoff to Did not pass QA on the Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26) board.Jun 30 2026, 2:35 PM
HNordeenWMF subscribed.

The above bug noted by Anthony should be fixed before we remove the feature flag,

@Folecr I opened up access to the videos!

HNordeenWMF added a project: App Experience.Jun 30 2026, 5:23 PM
Seddon moved this task from Team Triage to AppEx Sprint [FY2627Jul 1 - Jul 13] on the App Experience board.Jul 2 2026, 1:49 PM
Seddon edited projects, added: App Experience (AppEx Sprint [FY2627Jul 1 - Jul 13]); removed: App Experience.
Seddon moved this task from Ready to Needs QA* on the App Experience (AppEx Sprint [FY2627Jul 1 - Jul 13]) board.
Seddon removed a project: Wikipedia-iOS-App (Wikipedia iOS Release FY2025-26).
ABorbaWMF moved this task from Needs QA* to Ready on the App Experience (AppEx Sprint [FY2627Jul 1 - Jul 13]) board.Jul 2 2026, 6:17 PM

Still happens on 8.2.1 (6093)
Tested on:
iPhone 16, iOS 26.4.2
iPhone XS, iOS 26.2.1
iPad Air 11 inch, iPadOS 26.3.1

Folecr added a comment.Jul 3 2026, 4:14 PM

I opened up access to the videos!

thanks! I will take a look.

HNordeenWMF edited projects, added: App Experience; removed: App Experience (AppEx Sprint [FY2627Jul 1 - Jul 13]).Tue, Jul 14, 4:30 PM
Restricted Application added a project: WikipediaApp. · View Herald TranscriptTue, Jul 14, 4:30 PM
HNordeenWMF moved this task from Team Triage to Backlog on the App Experience board.Tue, Jul 14, 4:30 PM
Tsevener moved this task from Backlog to App Experience on the WikipediaApp board.Tue, Jul 21, 2:21 PM
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