While Flipboard officially launched for Android with Google+ and YouTube integration, the iOS version also received an update to bring the support for both social networks.
YouTube integration allows users to access all their subscriptions on the Flipboard app as well as view, share, comment, like and subscribe to new users or channels from the app. Users can also view videos under various genres like most popular, trending and even favourite videos they like.
On the other hand, Google+ integration allows users to view, share and +1 comments on posts along with browsing circles, individual users or pages. Filpboard offers a more pleasing experience for Google+ when compared to the standalone mobile apps for both iOS and Android.
Originally launched in 2010 for the iPad and later for the iOS, the app allows users to browse the web in a magazine style layout. The user interface of the app is designed for intuitive flipping through content. The home screen enlists subscribed content in a graphical tile format which is quite appealing.
The iOS and Android versions appear pretty similar when it comes to the interface and working of the app. The red content guide ribbon on the right hand corner gives access to various genres for reading like News, Sports, Business, Travel etc. and the reader's Accounts as well. Integration with other accounts like LinkedIn, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr and Google Reader are also available.
That being said, the major noticeable difference between the two Android and iOS versions is that the former allows readers to compose messages and share them on other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It also enables them to scroll back to the top of the board with just one tap on the Back to Top menu. Both these features are accessible on the top right corner of the screen. The presence of these two features is highly missed in the iOS version.
However, the iOS version recently received SoundCloud integration (See:
Flipboard integrates audio with SoundCloud) within the app which gives Android users something to be jealous about. Users can listen to podcasts, news, music and more while flipping through various sections. Existing SoundCloud users can also comment and like sounds directly from the app.