The mobile app has so many limitations that don't exist in the website.

It also requires updates from the store to get new features and bug fixes.

The website is fully responsive, has all the functionalities, updates delivered instantly and quickly.

And if something is missing, it's easily solvable by turning on desktop mode in the mobile browser.

What do you use on your phone? And please leave a comment why

I keep seeing people ask why the GitHub mobile app feels so barebones compared to the web, so here’s my take as a regular dev, not a GitHub employee. Honestly? I think it’s intentional, not laziness. The mobile app feels more like a companion than a full workstation. GitHub probably assumes that real coding, repo management, rebasing, conflict resolving, CI configs — all that heavy stuff — happens on a laptop. Phone is just too clumsy for that, no matter how good the app is. On mobile, the app is clearly optimized for: checking notifications reviewing PRs quickly commenting / approving basic repo browsing staying “in the loop” That’s it. And tbh, that’s all I want on a phone. If GitHub tried to cram Actions configs, repo settings, secrets, branch protections, org admin tools into the app, it would become a UX nightmare. Tiny screen, fat fingers, one wrong tap and boom — production broken 💀 Also, security angle matters. Phones get lost. Web has better control, audits, and serious workflows. Makes sense to keep dangerous buttons off mobile. Another thing people forget: power users live on desktop anyway. GitHub’s core audience is devs sitting in front of a system, not editing YAML on a bus ride. So yeah — the mobile app feels limited because it’s supposed to be. It’s not “GitHub Lite”, it’s more like GitHub Watch Mode. If you expect VS Code-level control on mobile, you’ll be disappointed. If you treat it like a notification + review tool, it actually does its job well. Curious though — what’s the one feature you wish GitHub mobile had but doesn’t? For me? Better diff viewing and search. That’s it.

I can now birth my terrible side projects straight from the app I’m never touching a laptop again

EDIT 2, 8:18pm: I'm surprised how many people thought this unserious post was a celebration of mobile coding… because that already exists, and like most of you I can’t imagine why anyone would prefer to do it. That assumption about my assumption would be incorrect (and unsupported, since I clarified the part about not touching a laptop was a joke).

I don’t see this as a coding feature for three reasons:

1. things needed for actual work still aren’t there

2. creating a repo and coding are not mutually necessary

3. it’s not tied to any other function, let alone one that initiates coding

So it’s not a coding feature; it's a container feature.

Also a bit unfair to assume the GitHub team made that assumption as well. Repos are often created separately from coding sessions, and some repos are created for uses other than coding. So what one does after adding a new repo shouldn’t affect the decision to allow it. We can admit this basic feature feels like a low bar compared to mobile capabilities we already have with literally any other task, which is why people have been asking for it for so long.

On why someone might appreciate this new capability: Ask the many users who have been asking for it for years. Personally, my brain is short-circuiting as it is, and my Notes app is where ideas go to die. Everywhere I put "reminders" adds chaos and extra cognitive load since I know that later I’ll need to remember to fetch it when I'm in the right place and figure out what to do with it before doing it. If something takes 10 seconds then out of my mind, it’s masochistic not to do it immediately. Fewer steps, less to remember, no chance of losing it in a black hole.

Not everyone will want or need this specific feature, just like every app isn't for every user. For those who won't use it, you have permission not to spend time explaining why it shouldn't exist. You are allowed to forget it's there if it’s not for you.

I'm never going to cook with an interactive app reading me a recipe aloud or watch videos on how to chop an onion– but I'd never say the very idea is pointless just because it's irrelevant to me. I don't use it and feel zero obligation to try the features meant for other users. And if it’s in my face I don’t use that app. That's unlikely to happen in this case because this particular function was added to an existing menu, in the same place, with the same + icon. Most users won’t even noticed it.

EDIT 7:28am - I was kidding about never touching a computer again and I don’t even have a laptop. I just meant that it’s finally nice to have the new repo option even if millions of users won’t use it because millions will. In 2026 that basic mobile functionality is expected when almost any work can happen on a phone except creating the place you’ll eventually put it (until now).

I don’t anticipate any serious dev will celebrate the idea and put away their computer. But I also don’t think its reasonable to hate the very idea this feature so much to decide it shouldn’t exist. It’s ok to ignore it. It’s also possible a few people might find it convenient once or twice.

People will make bad decisions with AI anyway so at least with this option they might keep it in folders and out of our faces.

Im a total newbie when it comes to coding and stuff - so i'm kinda confused on how to create a python project and code it using this app.