Fix the display of Commons categories and Wikipedia article galleries on mobile (Community Wishlist/W534)

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Description

Please fix the UI of category pages in Commons and galleries within articles in Wikipedia. I'll explain with images:

In Wikipedia app

A gallery with the <gallery> gallery tag (very common) in the Wikipedia Android app – there is some unnecessary padding around the images making them very small – the unused space is highlighted in red

Another example

The margin making the image very small seems like a bug but it also needs some overhaul that upgrades the UI.

It's a bit better if mode="packed" is set in the gallery tag but most galleries in Wikipedia do not have that set and images should show well regardless whether or not it's set + it's still too small

In mobile web browser

A category on Commons in the mobile browser (unused space highlighted) – it looks horrible and outdated; people on mobile are unlikely to visit/use these pages with that kind of broken 2000s UI

Another example

Example of how it could / should look like

Now here is how it can look like – this is how Commons categories display in the Commons Android app developed by volunteers

Assigned focus area

Unassigned

Type of wish

Bug report

Tags

Categories, Wikipedia iOS app, Wikipedia Android app, Mobile web, Multimedia and Commons, Reading

Affected users

Wikipedia and Commons users

Other details

• Created: 23:19, 27 March 2026
• Last updated: 09:21, 8 May 2026
• Author: Prototyperspective (talk)

Voting

This wish currently has 13 supporters. Voting for this wish is open until it is completed.

Supporters of this wish

Support Prototyperspective (talk) 23:19, 27 March 2026

Support Hand-in-hand with displaying categories when you view a file in the mobile view. Jmabel (talk) 18:50, 30 March 2026

Support Had this in mind, too. Not used white space is wasted white space PantheraLeo1359531 (talk) 20:13, 30 March 2026

Support HyperGaruda (talk) 20:53, 30 March 2026

Support Makes it easier to see the images on mobile. Tvpuppy (talk) 20:59, 30 March 2026

Support Seems like a pretty obvious need. Nosferattus (talk) 22:17, 30 March 2026

Support ChaoticV (talk) 09:54, 31 March 2026

Support See also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkC7_HTIYhA TheDJ (talk) 14:01, 31 March 2026

Support VastV0idInSpace0 (talk) 20:35, 31 March 2026

Support But the gallery tag with mode="packed" set needs some more overhaul than just the above because it regularly displays like this: File:Screenshot of gallery mode of the Commons Photo Challenge April 2026 Wooden Bridges subpage in mobile browser (2026-04-02).png, which is even worse a problem than the small thumbnails and unnecessary padding and margins. Nakonana (talk) 10:30, 2 April 2026

Support PeepeeDino (talk) 08:23, 6 April 2026

Support Matěj Suchánek (talk) 14:13, 6 April 2026

Support Pppery (talk) 01:38, 7 April 2026