Project title: Enable audio and video uploads in the Commons Android app
Brief summary: Currently, users cannot upload audio and video files directly from the Wikimedia Commons Android app. This project will extend the existing upload flow to support these media types, including media type detection, validation, upload progress and status handling, error handling, lifecycle support, tests, and documentation.
Uploading existing media files will be the focus of this project. Recording, editing, transcoding, subtitles, resumable uploads, and offline/background upload are out of scope.
Expected outcomes:
- Detect supported audio and video files selected from the device.
- Extend the existing Commons upload flow to accept supported audio and video formats.
- Upload selected files to Commons with the required metadata.
- Provide basic upload progress and status feedback.
- Handle validation, upload failures, cancellation, and lifecycle-related edge cases gracefully.
- Add appropriate tests and documentation.
Skills required/preferred: Android development with Kotlin, especially some experience with UI development, Android file/media handling and understanding of Fragment/Activity lifecycles.
Mentors: @Nicolas_Raoul @RitikaPahwa4444 @Neeldoshii
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Microtasks: https://github.com/commons-app/apps-android-commons/labels/good%20first%20issue. Please let us know before starting any of these so that we can assign the issue to you.
Any other additional information for contributors: Our team is mostly available on GitHub to guide you, and that's also the primary platform where we communicate everyday :-)
NEW QUESTIONS
What WMF priority does this project align with? A Wishlist item? An Annual Plan objective?
The project addresses the wishlist item: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Wishlist_Survey_2017/Mobile_and_apps/Enable_video_uploads_from_Commons_mobile_app. This is a very common ask and similar feature requests were also raised on GitHub.
The project also supports the broader direction of the Annual Plan’s goals of fostering contributions.
Why are you proposing it? What needs are you aiming to meet? Is it for your Wiki chapter, your community, etc?
Audio and video are important parts of Wikimedia Commons, but the Commons Android app currently does not support uploading them. This project aims to close that gap and make it easier for mobile users to contribute directly from their devices. This will help foster contributions that include but are not limited to educational recordings, spoken Wikipedia files, music, oral histories, Wikimania talks, documentaries, and other freely licensed audio-visual knowledge.
What is the expected impact? What does success look like? How will this affect the needs you have identified?
Success means users can select a supported audio or video file, provide the required metadata, and reliably upload it to Commons through the app, with clear progress and error feedback.