Mastodon for iOS: Official Fediverse Client
/mastodon-ios
Mastodon for iOS is the official Mastodon client, built and shipped by the same non-profit behind the Mastodon server software. As the official app, the App Store build is dual-licensed to Apple on top of its GPL-3.0 source. Reach for it if you want the first-party client with no reverse-engineering involved; skip it if you're on a non-Mastodon server, since that's not what this app targets.
What is Mastodon for iOS?
Mastodon for iOS is the official iPhone and iPad app for the Mastodon social network, published by the Mastodon project itself. It's a client only — you still need an existing account on a Mastodon server to sign in and use it, the same way any Mastodon app works. The code is open source on GitHub under GPL-3.0, and it's also dual-licensed to Apple so the same source can be distributed through the App Store.
Key Aspects of the Official App
- ✓Maintained and published directly by the Mastodon project itself, not a third-party developer reverse-engineering the API.
- ✓Written in Swift and distributed primarily through the App Store, with the same source buildable directly from this repository.
- ✓Released under the GPL-3.0 license, and also dual-licensed to Apple specifically so the app can be published on the App Store.
- ✓Built to work with Mastodon servers specifically — the README states the team doesn't have the bandwidth to guarantee it works with other fediverse server software.
- ✓Interface changes go through a design process with core team review rather than being merged ad hoc from community pull requests.
- ✓Ships with dedicated documentation covering iOS-specific contributing steps, a setup guide, and App Store deployment, kept separate from the top-level README.
- ✓Its background is documented in a 2021 Mastodon blog post explaining why the team built a first-party iOS app in the first place.
Getting the App on Your Device
The README points to the App Store as the main way to install Mastodon for iOS — that's the intended path for regular users. If you want to build it yourself, the repo's Documentation folder has a setup guide and a separate App Store Deployment doc, but the specific build commands aren't spelled out in the top-level README itself, so treat those documents as the source of truth. Building from source is aimed mainly at people who want to file bug reports against the app, per the README.
Strengths
- ✓Maintained by the Mastodon project itself, not a third party guessing at API changes.
- ✓Fully open source under GPL-3.0, with the exact App Store source buildable and readable on GitHub.
- ✓Comes with real contributor documentation — a setup guide, iOS-specific contributing doc, and App Store deployment doc — instead of just a bare README.
- ✓Its origin and design intent are explained in a public blog post, not left unexplained.
- ✓Credits the open-source projects it depends on in a dedicated acknowledgments document.
Compatibility and Contribution Notes
- △Only targets Mastodon servers — the README says the team doesn't have the bandwidth to ensure the app works with other fediverse server software, and pull requests aimed at that get closed.
- △Contributing UI changes is harder than a typical open-source PR: interface changes go through a review process led by the core team, and the README says most community-submitted UI tweaks get rejected, or take a while to land even when they're approved.
- △Getting a code contribution merged also means agreeing to a Contributor License Agreement first, a step plenty of casual bug-fix contributors skip on other projects.
- △The README doesn't list a version number, release cadence, or roadmap, so there's no documented sense of what's coming next.
- △If you fork and modify the app, you can't keep the Mastodon name or logo — the README requires a unique name and icon so it doesn't look officially endorsed.
Other iOS Clients for Mastodon
Who This App Is For
Mastodon for iOS is for people who already have an account on a Mastodon server and want the client built by the same team that runs the network, not a third-party reimplementation. It also suits developers who want to read or build a production Swift codebase, or who plan to fix bugs and are fine going through a CLA and, for UI work, a core-team design review. Skip it if you're on a different fediverse server that isn't Mastodon — the README is explicit that compatibility there isn't a priority — or if you want a client with a very different visual style than the official one, since interface changes are tightly controlled.
Common Questions
Mastodon for iOS is open source — its code is published on GitHub under the GPL-3.0 license, and anyone can build it from source to file bug reports.
Mastodon for iOS is released under GPL-3.0. It's also dual-licensed to Apple specifically so the same code can be distributed through the App Store.
Contributing to Mastodon for iOS means following the project's contributing guide and signing a Contributor License Agreement; interface changes additionally go through a core-team design review before they're accepted.
Mastodon for iOS is built to work with Mastodon servers specifically; the README says the team lacks the resources to guarantee compatibility with other fediverse server software, and pull requests aimed at that goal are likely to be closed.
Because Mastodon for iOS is dual-licensed to Apple for App Store distribution on top of its GPL-3.0 source, contributors must agree to a Contributor License Agreement before their code is merged; the README doesn't detail further terms beyond that requirement.
Redistributing a modified version of Mastodon for iOS is allowed under GPL-3.0, but the README requires giving it a different name and icon, since the Mastodon name and logo are trademarks that can't imply official endorsement.
The problem it solves
Before this app existed, iOS users of Mastodon depended entirely on third-party clients built by developers outside the Mastodon project, with no first-party option tied directly to how the server itself evolves. Mastodon for iOS closes that gap: it's maintained by the same team that runs the server software, referenced in the project's own 2021 blog post about building an official iOS app, so client updates and server features can stay in step in a way a purely third-party app can't guarantee.
Best use cases
- •Running it as your day-to-day Mastodon client on iOS when you already have an account on a Mastodon server.
- •Building the app from source specifically to reproduce and file a bug report against the official client.
- •Reading Swift source from a real, shipping App Store app as a reference for iOS app architecture.
- •Contributing non-UI fixes through the project's contributing guide, since UI changes face a heavier core-team review process.
Related repositories
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