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Hi all,
I’m so sorry this thread got closed - I hope we didn’t miss out on any of your brilliant thoughts in the meantime 
As you may know, we have picked and released our new app icon. Version 2.0.0 has been sent to and accepted by Google. It’s a staged roll-out, so not everyone will get it at the same time. But hopefully we’ll all get to benefit. As soon as roll-out is (close to) 100%, we should send out the communication.
It’s time, therefore, to start drafting the texts. I would love to get help from you all. I was thinking of setting up a shared doc (a pad maybe, as it’s Google-free?) so we can all contribute. @tenkara_vt I’d love to get your help also with a check as a native speaker.
At this point (I’ll create the shared doc tonight): any ideas on what we should highlight/can focus on in the text?
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I’ve created a Pad in which you can all contribute. For the moment I’ve just added my ideas for the rough content of the message. Feel free to add your ideas or contribute actual text. Your comments here on the forum are also most welcome, of course 
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Apologies for the delay, been rather busy.
I’d love to help! I’ll take a look this weekend and see what we can do!
Hi all,
Rather busy at my end as well. I wanted to start writing the press release over the weekend, but then realised I wanted to have more info to be able to say something interesting. So I ended up working yesterday and today with ByteHamster to prepare a full list of (interesting) changes in v2 (vis-à-vis version 1.8.1). The result you can see below behind the button/link.
Full list of changes
special mention: new app logo & icon #4441
NEW
- option to export favourites to HTML file #4106
- ask user if they prefer streaming to download, when streaming a lot #4121
- feed settings to reduce its volume (none/light/heavy), skip its episodes’ intro and ending #3975 #3248
- include modern security provider (Conscrypt) to fix SSL issues on older Android versions [F-Droid] #4077
- app shortcuts to directly refresh, or go to episodes, subscriptions or queue #3748
- notification when episodes have been auto-downloaded #3839
- ‘special thanks’ screen to credit individuals for contributions other than code or translations #4386
- option to preview episodes when adding new podcasts #4177 #4039 #3882
- possibility to export latest crash log #3886
- support for chapter images (only for new episodes) #3838
- statistics screen to show storage size of episodes on device #3523
- support for “Subscribe on Android” links on websites #3739
GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS
- more fail-safe adding of feeds #4301
- support for feeds that don’t specify episode duration #4162
- theme switching by keeping settings opened #4125
- support for RTL languages #4097 #4020 #4046 and other localisation improvements #4096 #4088 #4047 #4032
- show warning when importing database #4011
- performance improvements #3998 #3997 #3996 #3993 #3992 #3989 #3991
- fast scrolling available across all lists & screens #3995
- show dialog instead of notification when attempting streaming over mobile network #4324 #3897
- datestamp in filenames of all exports (database, opml and html) #3980
- better in-app search experience: faster, don’t display episodes if podcast matches, added progress bar #3830 #3715 #3714
- display podcast author instead of feed URL when searching for new podcasts #3762
- updated translations in 28 languages: br, ca, cs, da, de, es, et, eu, fa, fi, fr, gl, hu, hi, it, iw, ja, ko, lt, nb, nl, pl, pt-rBR, pt, ru, sv, uk, zh-rCN & zh-rTW
- prevent Google snooping on WebView (show notes) #3877
- stop attempting automatic downl oad when content is not available any-more #3848
- increase button sizes on notification & lock screen #3840
- Allow to click timecodes in item screen, not just on the player screen #3813
- applied design to html subscriptions export #3796
- decrease likelyhood of duplicates after gpodder sync #3690
- paged loading on the ‘new episodes’ list #3711
UI IMPROVEMENTS
- pretty display of episode art now in landscape view #4292
- greatly improved support for video feeds #4306 #4306 #4105 #4002 #4000 #3858
- more spacious player screen for easier tapping #4174
- darker dark theme #4138
- improved audio description of elements (TalkBack accessibility) #4132
- no more shouting, caps-locked buttons #4107
- tweaked podcast view & transitions #4069
- consistent colour use #4036 #3981
- several other improvements #4043
- easier to understand sorting options #4004
- improve statistics screen, especially for smaller screens & in landscape mode #4005 #3873 #3821 #3751
- updated queue icon #3960
- prettier lists: unify all lists, rounded image corners, display favourite status, display episode duration whenever possible, more subtle drag handles in queue #4015 #3937 #3827 #3957
- updated ‘add podcast’ screen: cleaner, more proposed podcasts, pre-fill URL from clipboard when adding from, clearer alternative search options URL #3936
- fancier header on podcast screen with animation & other improvements #3923 #3927 #3922
- new speed indicator with animation #3785
- smoother spinner in refresh button when updating feeds #3874
- updated episode detail screen: bigger image, everything left-aligned, reduced line thickness #3854
- updated player screen: cleaner screen, sharper buttons, improved display of cover image & episode information, wider seek bar for easier scrolling #3856 #3857
- cleaner sleep timer dialogs #4174 #3811
- indicate with open circle in player screen tabs when there are no chapters #3817
- improved import/export settings screen #3794
- consistently use the term ‘podcast’ instead of ‘feed’ #3763
- add summary for each of the categories on the main settings screen #3745
FIXES
- issues with time stamp links in show notes #4286 #4023 #3825
- app unusable after removing SD card storage #4270
- don’t always pass on correct useragent to server #4272 #4008 #3931
- database import not working or causing a crash in some cases #4269 #3832 #3831
- played/unplayed state in downloads not updated while playing podcast #4250
- service notification intendedly persistent #4199 and tapping loads wrong screen #4197
- issues with searching & subscribing to podcasts #4179, #4147, #4110 #4024
- issues with gpodder sync #4100 #3970
- embedded episode images not being used #4059
- player sometimes not updating #3966
- sidebar menu sometimes highlighting wrong item #3958
- “confirm” text not visible when entering private feed credential 3948
- default sort order not selected for newly added podcasts #3926
- error in download log not always showing podcast title #3921
- multi select crops long episode titles #3920
- app crashes when trying to resume streaming after a while #3881
- changing default playback speed while playing podcast does not work correctly #3819
- seeking not possible in edge cases with variable bitrate #3782
So, next step is picking the most interesting things and drafting the press release. Roll-out of 2.0.1 was started Sunday morning, so I guess it’ll soon reach 100%. At that point new installs will also be that latest version, so that’s the time to send out the press release.
Thanks for following up everybody until now. I’ll continue with the press release tomorrow evening. Let’s wrap up this major milestone this week! 
Allright - it’s finally here. My proposal for the press release. @tenkara_vt @ByteHamster and others: your critical reviews are most welcome!
Free Android podcasting app AntennaPod launches major new version
Version 2 of AntennaPod has been released today on Google Play and F-Droid. The release is a major milestone for the popular free and Open Source podcast manager for Android. Over 20 volunteers from across the world collaborated on this version. The app has been given a fresh new brand selected through a unique public vote, brings a big update of the user interface throughout, and contains many new features and improvements under the hood.
Lead developer ByteHamster: “With a total of 511 commits, this release is probably the biggest update since the initial release of the app. I’m proud of this new version: the new app icon and many new functionalities were worth the wait.”
The new feature set includes ‘app shortcuts’, allowing users to directly go to their queue or episodes list from their home screen and new per-podcast settings to adjust the podcast’s volume and to skip intros and outros of its episodes. Also a new option has been added to preview episodes before subscribing to a podcast.
Other notable improvements include enhanced audio-description of the interface, benefiting visually impaired to navigate around the app. And AntennaPod is now fully available in 17 languages, with many more partially supported. A full list of new features, improvements and bug fixes is available on the project website.
Possibly the biggest user-facing change is the project’s new branding, including the new app icon. After a call in the Open Source Design community the team received 12 proposals, of which two were selected and put to a public vote.
Keunes, coordinating communication and translations: “We’ve seen an incredible interest and response. Well over 6,000 of our users voted for their favourite proposal and left comments on the designs. All votes and open comments were analysed and used in an intense iteration process. A unique process to get a new brand. Even in the Open Source community.”
The chosen brand is from the hand of designer 221 Pixels. The new app icon and branding feature prominently in the latest release. A remake of the project’s website, based on the new brand, is in the making. The app itself will soon get support for podcastindex.org, a new database from the hand of ‘Podfather’ Adam Curry.
Nice start! There are a few edits I will make and repost here.
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Maybe you can make the edits here on the RiseUp Pad. Then we can more easily continue from there with more edits from others, without having to merge changes or repost a lot.
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Okay. I made some edits on the RiseUp Pad.
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Thanks a lot for these improvements! Just one minor thing I’m not sure about. The new headline:
The free Android podcasting app, AntennaPod, launches a major new version
Like this we either assume the reader knows AP already, or imply that AP is the only free podcasting app for android. ‘app’ here is the main noun here.
I think I prefer it without the commas, where the whole phrase ‘the free Android podcasting app’ is just a descriptor for ‘AntennaPod’ (which then is the main noun).
Also I would remove ‘the’ and ‘a’ as to make it shorter, more press-release-like. So basically revert it to what it was.
How would you feel about this?
Just a quick comment from me : I would drop at the beginning the “today” (on Google play).
I think there is no use to point out when it has been released. Besides 2.0 has already been published outside beta. (Unless I am mistaken?)
All in all nice wrap up, I think it’s not easy to do. 
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Well, I was correcting it for proper English.
I agree with your point about implying that AP is the only free podcasting app, which really is not true.
Although, I respectfully disagree with you about reverting it back to the way it was. Not only are the commas correct English, but they indicate that statement is describing AP.
I also feel that removing the articles (“the” & “a”) makes it less professional and less thought through. It’s also improper English. So all in all, I would disagree with this decision.
However, I’m just a user of the app and not part of your team. So please make the decision that you feel is best.
The point that @Matth78 messages about dropping the “today” is a good one.
Thanks @tenkara_vt and @Matth78 for your replies!
Let me start with saying that I don’t care so much about how I feel about this change. I just want to get a good press release In Dutch cutting these words like ‘the’ and ‘a’ - while weird (even incorrect, really) in regular text - I feel is quite normal for press release headlines. But I don’t know whether the same holds true in English.
Trying to find something on the ‘a’ and ‘the’ in headlines in English, I came across this tool: Sharethrough Headline Analyzer. Our headline doesn’t get a great score. Not that this is the ultimate indicator of success, but it did make me think: should we change it to include something about the changes? Maybe focus on the fact that the new brand was community-voted? The question that we need to answer: what would a tech journalist be most interested in reading about further, what makes this thing unique? Some ideas below. Your ideas & comments are very welcome!
-
Free Android podcasting app AntennaPod launches a major new version with friendlier user interface and a range of new features
-
AntennaPod launches a major new version of its free podcasting app for Android, introducing a completely new brand, a friendlier user interface and a range of new features
-
AntennaPod rebrands its free podcasting app for Android: a major new version sees a friendlier user interface and a range of new features
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The AntennaPod team rebrands its free Android podcasting app, launching a major new version with a friendlier interface and a range of new features
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With help from over 20 volunteers the AntennaPod team releases a major new version of its Android podcasting app with a new brand and many frequently requested features
About the 'today’
Version 2.0.1 is currently released to 20% of the Google Play users. New downloads will still be 1.8.1 (also on F-Droid). The day we hit 100%, new downloads will be 2.0.1 (or a later point release if necessary). At that point we’ll also be available on F-Droid.
I feel that keeping ‘today’ is beneficial to our press release; it adds a sense of urgency/relevance. ‘Today’, then, would be the day we hit 100%, because that would be the point where people interested in AP after reading an article can actually download it. On the other hand: we might also send out the press release just before - and I guess in that case ‘today’ doesn’t apply (a journalist downloading the app for review would still get 1.8.1).
I like the first one as a title because :
- it informs that AntennaPod is free
- and that a major new version is released
=> In my opinion it’s the most important.
What about :
- changing launches with releases
- using “a bunch of new features” instead of a range. It sounds nicer to me but I’m not a native speaker.
- and adding after features : “and many improvements”.
To sum it up with my suggested modifications :
- Free Android podcasting app AntennaPod releases a major new version with friendlier user interface, a bunch of new features and many improvements
A last note from me : in all suggestions mentioning that it’s an android app can be let out IMHO. It would be better to write it in article body.
I assume most people knowing what is a podcast would expect an app to be for their phone.
Thanks - I agree with going with the first, replacing ‘launches’ with ‘releases’.
‘bunch’ sounds too informal for a press release, so I say we stick to ‘a range’. ‘Android’ I would keep - while it’s clear it’s for a phone, it might have been for Apple. We could add ‘and improvements’, but I feel it gets just a little too long (and improvements aren’t really newsworthy - they are very common). Then we get:
The free Android podcasting app AntennaPod releases a major new version with a friendlier user interface and a range of new features
Latest update on the release date: we’ll be at 100% on Tuesday morning. So we can send out the release then as well.
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The release is already out. I’m surprised the announcement isn’t here.
Hi @Podder,
The release has only been out to 100% of the users (and thus available for download by new users) since a couple of hours. Plus, we’re all volunteers so we aren’t always to follow up immediately
That said, since the roll-out now is 100% and the emails to accompany the press release are ready in English, French and German, I’ll start sending out everything in 40 minutes or so, during my lunch break from work.
Is the press release going to be on the official site or here on the forum?