College Rolls Out New Smartphone App

UPDATED: September 4, 2015, at 5:51 p.m.

Omni, a smartphone application that aims to eventually replace the current “Harvard” app, was launched to undergraduates via a College-wide email from Undergraduate Council leaders and Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana on Thursday.

The application is part of a two-pronged package from the Council. Omni, which is Latin for “all,” consolidates similar features from the old application, including a dining hall menu and shuttle tracking services.

Undergraduate Council President Ava Nasrollahzadeh '16 and Vice President Dhruv P. Goyal '16. By Y. Kit Wu

In an interview last semester, UC President Ava Nasrollahzadeh ’16 said the app would only include tools that she called “relevant to the daily life of an undergrad.” Omni requires students to answer a verification message from their official College email address to access the application.

Development on the app began last semester by Hugo Yen ’18, Leverett House UC representative, Jason F. Herrmann ’18, and Lori LoTurco, College director for communications strategy. Yen also worked to develop “Club In,” another smartphone tool which helped students register for email updates from student groups during Visitas, Harvard’s official visiting weekend for accepted students.

Work on Omni continued over the summer and involved heavy collaboration between College administrators and UC representatives, according to Council Vice President Dhruv P. Goyal ’16. Yen added that individuals from Harvard University Information Technology, Computer Science 50, and Harvard University Dining Services also helped with portions of the app’s development.

According to Goyal, the application launched to the Class of 2019 prior to the official launch. Downloads of “Ventfull,” a calendar application brought to Harvard last spring, have also increased since the introduction of Omni, he added.

—Staff writer Jalin P. Cunningham can be reached at jalincunningham@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @JalinCunningham.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: September 4, 2015, at 5:52 p.m.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Omni application did not include information about financial aid and libraries. In fact, the application does include this information.