LinkedIn revamps mobile app with updates stream, focus on content

Business networking site LinkedIn continues its push toward an encompassing connected product tailored to professionals with its newest mobile offerings, which brings a news stream and redesigned look that directs users to content-driven features.

LinkedIn on Thursday launched reworked apps for iOS and Android, both of which offer a richer experience than their predecessors, mostly thanks to an enhanced news stream that rolls together conversations, updates and original content.

The new app basically revolves around the newly designed home screen, a scrollable stream of news and updates that lets users interact with each other via in-app messaging. Swiping the home screen to the right reveals a navigation page that includes settings, a user's profile and inbox, recent activity and a constantly updated stream ticker. This is also the space where customizable "shortcuts" linking to various app features like groups, companies and connections.

LinkedIn is making a strong move toward generated content, recently acquiring popular news aggregator and reader Pulse for $90 million. At the time, LinkedIn said it wanted to be the "definitive professional publishing platform – where all professionals come to consume content and where publishers come to share their content."

According to a post on the company's blog, the latest update is just the first of many significant changes scheduled for the mobile app this year, with plans said to include expanded search and personalization options.

LinkedIn for iOS is a 23.4MB universal app and can be downloaded for free through the App Store.