SmartNews: Local Breaking News

SmartNews: Local Breaking News

SmartNews, Inc..

Breaking local news and weather forecasts from your neighborhood.

4.4 Ratings 1M+ Reviews 10M+ Downloads

About SmartNews: Local Breaking News

Featured on Best Apps to Find Reliable News Outlets

Breaking local news and weather forecasts from your neighborhood.

see more about SmartNews: Local Breaking News

Ratings & Reviews

4.4

1.3M+ Ratings

5

69+%

4

17+%

3

5+%

2

3+%

1

6+%

Filter Reviews

All
Positive
Negative
Community
Expert
5
4
3
2
1

Community
Hate the gaming ads! Jun 14, 2022

By Zane Sullivan

This is a wonderful news app that has been ruined by unstoppable gaming ads.
Community
Smart News TOO FAR LEFT May 30, 2022

By Pareja Young

Smart News should be DUMB NEWS ! ! ! BARACK OBAMA was the WORST PRESIDENT in US HISTORY ! ! ! DONALD TRUMP WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT.
Community
Too far left, not balanced politically Apr 25, 2022

By Jack Smith

Seems every day there are 4 or 5 lead stories about failures of Trump and / or his administration. News flash...Trump has been out for 18 months. Certainly there are lots of stories about Biden's failed presidency. Yet tg6ey don't seem to get much, if any, coverage on this site. Interesting, too, that among the many media outlets contributing articles, Fox, which leads all others in cable news, is not included. That about says it all! more
Community
Woke, liberal crap. very anti conservative. Jan 5, 2022

By Ken Masterson

Far from objective. Anti conservative, anti Trump. Uninstalled it.
Community
I THOUGHT this would be a good middle of the road app Nov 18, 2021

By L French

I just uninstalled this app. I want to see both sides of the news, not your personal liberal agenda. Nothing like I had hoped it would be. And blowing me up with ads... :(
Community
A lot of bull and lies fake stories. Oct 31, 2021

By joanna samford

Some articles like from The Blaze are bald faced lies. If you cannot print the truth why should anyone read your news. The Mirror, The Blaze, AON. you print these papers rag stories. Getting rid of this app.
Community
Biased Fake new Joe Biden supporters Oct 10, 2021

By Lyle Emmons

Claim to be unbiased. Total Bull Sh#t. Biden lover welcome all other look elsewhere. I am uninstalling app. I do not need to know what that TIRED OLD MAN YOU ELECTED KING thinks. Age limits, term limit!!!!!!!
Community
Please get rid of the pop up ads Oct 2, 2021

By Kyra

I loved this app until recently when I started getting full page pop up ads (very loud too) with no way to exit the screen. Very annoying. I won’t use anymore.
Community
Just Look At Their News Sources Sep 29, 2021

By Ernie Thomas

CNN, MSNBC, Huffington, USA Today, Buzz Feed and other left or far left sources..they claim they balance all of the left sources with FOX, so it is totally unbiased, but you should check sources…such a joke. Do you want to check all of your reading sources?? I hope someone sues them to prove they are “unbiased”…and of course damages. Don’t waste your time. Disgusting. more
Community
LIBERAL NEWS SITE FALSELY ADVERTISED AS UNBIASED Sep 21, 2021

By Voice of Sanity

LIBERAL NEWS SITE DISGUISED AS UNBIASED - ANY DAYS SOURCES & HEADLINES CONFIRM THIS - FALSE ADVERTISING

Fantastic Function and Fav App but iPhone Capacity Issues Dec 18, 2021

By Zan Wilson

I love the news I get; frequently from cities I didn’t even realize it was tracking for me! Far superior to anything else I’ve ever seen I might be getting addicted this; I spend more time than I think I ‘should’ reading really interesting stuff that’s relevant to me. It’s not a five because it seems to ‘consume’ my iPhone 7 (with max memory)! Here’s what I mean: 1) Frequent pauses/freezes that can last quite a while. Some correct themselves with time, others don’t seem to. 2) Frequently I can’t open iPhone Notes to store an article. It just freezes! This is almost to the point rarely try anymore. But my memory is so bad what’s the point of reading all of this if a can’t save a link to it for later? 3) I was informed by the iPhone that my battery is going bad. However, this App seems to consume tons of power. If I stop using it for a day my ‘power issues’ seem to disappear. If I need a newer/faster iPhone for this app just let me know. If that’s not the issue, any suggestions? Alex PS - I’d like to store direct links to some of the news - is there an easy way to do this? Another suggestion: when I’m done reading an article option to remove from list or retain for a while (I may wish to forward to a friend ...... when it’s daylight again - ha, perhaps I am addicted! more
Jun 8, 2022

By shawn anderson

Love this app, except.... I selected that video ads do not autoplay, but they do when I try to leave an article. Not only that, but unmuted. Plus, frankly, I'm tired of ads that hold me hostage when I leave an article. Eveytime that happens, I turn off the app and skip the ads and just restart the app. Even muting my phone does not seem to turn off the audio on these ads. Of course these always seem to go when I'm in a place that needs quite like a clinic waiting room. I don't mind banner ads. more
A couple bugs and a suggestion Sep 20, 2020

By tmanokc

I recently reset my iPad’s settings and content, and upon reinstalling SmartNews, the app’s notifications won’t push anymore. It misses the scheduled update notification times and doesn’t display breaking news notifications. Stories aren’t even being put in the inbox. Also, for a long time, some stories featured on the app are unable to display the full article text in “smart mode”, either omitting paragraphs or not being parsed at all or correctly to display the complete text featured in the original source page. Oddly, the notifications were still working properly when I upgraded my iPad from iPadOS 13.7 to 14.0 after the latter OS was released, with the most recent SmartNews update installed. Also, I’d like to suggest changes to the weather page to include a summary of the current weather observations (adding dew point, wind, barometric pressure, “feels like” temperature, visibility and humidity, along with sky conditions and air temperature). The current format of putting just the current temperature and sky conditions in the hourly forecast panel just doesn’t make sense, given that the weather page provides more detailed information on the forecast while only providing the bare minimum when it comes to current conditions. more
Commercials. Dec 12, 2019

By JDII.

I have been (inundated)as of late, been looking for another platform to get my daily news needs met as I am informe and very interested in social issues in my neighborhood and my country on a daily basis,until recently, “I noticed that as I was reading or might I say(trying )to read a (interesting (ed op)I was repeatedly interrupted by the annoying commercials that you have allowed companies to interject into your forum,as I have to lost track an at times interest in what I have an interest in reading,then I must stop and look for that very small (x) and then try and tap on it with my large thumbs,because I don’t always carry a (stylus all times, well that being said I began looking for an alternative for(you)I’m not interested in commercials while I am reading,it is bad enough when I watch television,I understand you have a need to pay bills but it help if we were at least given an option to look and or listen as opposed to feeling like a (captive in your program,I do like your format as I can go to top and pick and change topics at will, but the commercials just pop up so fast that I get (frustrated,and start looking for another venue..Thank you James in (Sacramento. more
Favorite app Dec 14, 2021

By CRanger

Officially un usable. As a news junkie this app has been my most used for years now. Layout is better than any other by far. Popups have rendered it garbage. Make a paid version if you need revenue, add more ads in feed. Popups are a deal breaker. I can’t even imagine they are a viable ad format given my first inclination is to shut down the app once they appear. Doubt I’m alone in this. Good luck. Ya finally killed it for me. Back to my other news sources, sadly. Update: Hung in there a while more in hopes popups would go away. Got more frequent, and now an additional popup has shown up. Sad. Best news format out there. Done. DELETE Update: Came back to see if any decent changes would make app usable again. Nope. At least not in the ‘Top News’ Tab. Wish I could just delete it and stick with the other tabs I’ve created. Top News is anything but. Literally jam packed with garbage news from unknown sources. I can’t spend all my time checking validity of obscure news sources. Wish app would stick with known sources regardless of bias and leave all the suspect sources and fluff stories to a separate tab. Update: App now allows for some customization. MUCH better in my opinion. Some news sources are just not worth my time, but to each his own. Nicely done. more
Jun 27, 2022

By Stacey Shay

I love having so many news sources in 1 place! Update 6/2022 - what happened? Suddenly I have ads popping up that I can't click out of until it plays. These are the most annoying ads. I don't mind the ads that are non intrusive, but when the ad covers what I'm reading, I don't have time to wait for it to end. I would urge the developers to stop using those types of ads because it makes me not want to use the app. I'd rather go to the individual news websites than deal with those types of ads. more
Love!!! Aug 28, 2020

By ColeyDets

I love reading the news - but I hate news with an agenda. Before SmartNews, I had my local Fox News app, which is about as non-bipartisan as you can get. The reason I love SmartNews is because it gives me ALL the news...all sides, from literally all media outlets. I can go to the local tab (includes everything from the local Fox plus much more) or see what’s happening in our government, or the world, or to look at funny memes and animal pic compilations. I love how it’s not all doom-and-gloom news, they include the feel-good news, too! It’s amazing!!! I would highly recommend this app to anyone, 10-stars, big thumbs up 👍👍👍👍👍👍 P.S. I LOVE the recently read feature!!! 👏👏👏 Edit: I looked over some other reviewers and I’m completely floored that people would say this app has an agenda!! Every article is from its original source, so it’s clear where the article came from. If you get triggered by one side or the other, then go into your settings and adjust the scale so that you get what you want 🙂👍 more
Jun 13, 2022

By P VH

I appreciate this app for it's variety of article sources and the diverse array of it's content. However, this app- like so many others- suffers from the ever increasing use of intrusive advertisement. Banner ads sprinkled into headlines kinda make sense but I feel that adding 30 second video ads when you are finished reading an article may be a step too far. I end up putting my phone down instead of continuing to browse articles. It could benefit from fewer notifications as well. more
Jun 12, 2022

By Jack Burn

Used to be awesome. Now there are two many ads, & they open in a separate browser window FAR to easily. Also, now I have to suffer thru pop-up video game ads where they play a round before revealing the closing 'X' button. I usually just close the app immediately & restart. I'm about to find another news aggregator if it gets any worse. I don't keep 2 star apps. more
Would give 5 but... Nov 21, 2019

By Upsetusernumber99

First off, to anyone complaining about it being “left leaning,” use your head for more than five seconds and control your emotions. I mean that seriously. The app is customizable to allow you to choose the exact news sources you want to see, provided they are in the app. Even if (not saying it is), the app is “left leaning”, do what I do. Just read from sources you trust, just add the right leaning channels. Or, get a bit of balance and have both sides presented before you when you open the app.. which is kinda the point of the app if you’ve seen the commercials. Anyways, I would give 5 stars if there’s a bit more customization. Customization on notifications, frequency of notifications, notifications for new stories from specific channels, etc. And, I would love a “Save for Later” feature. I often find myself opening the app, scrolling through, and seeing several headlines that sound interesting but I don’t have the time or just don’t want to read them at the time. Atm I’m just saving the link to those articles in Notes. I’d much rather be able to tap a button or two that saves it within Smart News itself in a “Save for Later” tab. more

See all positive reviews

Community
Hate the gaming ads! Jun 14, 2022

By Zane Sullivan

This is a wonderful news app that has been ruined by unstoppable gaming ads.
Community
Smart News TOO FAR LEFT May 30, 2022

By Pareja Young

Smart News should be DUMB NEWS ! ! ! BARACK OBAMA was the WORST PRESIDENT in US HISTORY ! ! ! DONALD TRUMP WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT.
Community
Too far left, not balanced politically Apr 25, 2022

By Jack Smith

Seems every day there are 4 or 5 lead stories about failures of Trump and / or his administration. News flash...Trump has been out for 18 months. Certainly there are lots of stories about Biden's failed presidency. Yet tg6ey don't seem to get much, if any, coverage on this site. Interesting, too, that among the many media outlets contributing articles, Fox, which leads all others in cable news, is not included. That about says it all! more
Community
Woke, liberal crap. very anti conservative. Jan 5, 2022

By Ken Masterson

Far from objective. Anti conservative, anti Trump. Uninstalled it.
Community
I THOUGHT this would be a good middle of the road app Nov 18, 2021

By L French

I just uninstalled this app. I want to see both sides of the news, not your personal liberal agenda. Nothing like I had hoped it would be. And blowing me up with ads... :(
Community
A lot of bull and lies fake stories. Oct 31, 2021

By joanna samford

Some articles like from The Blaze are bald faced lies. If you cannot print the truth why should anyone read your news. The Mirror, The Blaze, AON. you print these papers rag stories. Getting rid of this app.
Community
Biased Fake new Joe Biden supporters Oct 10, 2021

By Lyle Emmons

Claim to be unbiased. Total Bull Sh#t. Biden lover welcome all other look elsewhere. I am uninstalling app. I do not need to know what that TIRED OLD MAN YOU ELECTED KING thinks. Age limits, term limit!!!!!!!
Community
Please get rid of the pop up ads Oct 2, 2021

By Kyra

I loved this app until recently when I started getting full page pop up ads (very loud too) with no way to exit the screen. Very annoying. I won’t use anymore.
Community
Just Look At Their News Sources Sep 29, 2021

By Ernie Thomas

CNN, MSNBC, Huffington, USA Today, Buzz Feed and other left or far left sources..they claim they balance all of the left sources with FOX, so it is totally unbiased, but you should check sources…such a joke. Do you want to check all of your reading sources?? I hope someone sues them to prove they are “unbiased”…and of course damages. Don’t waste your time. Disgusting. more
Community
LIBERAL NEWS SITE FALSELY ADVERTISED AS UNBIASED Sep 21, 2021

By Voice of Sanity

LIBERAL NEWS SITE DISGUISED AS UNBIASED - ANY DAYS SOURCES & HEADLINES CONFIRM THIS - FALSE ADVERTISING

See all negative reviews

Community
Hate the gaming ads! Jun 14, 2022

By Zane Sullivan

This is a wonderful news app that has been ruined by unstoppable gaming ads.
Community
Smart News TOO FAR LEFT May 30, 2022

By Pareja Young

Smart News should be DUMB NEWS ! ! ! BARACK OBAMA was the WORST PRESIDENT in US HISTORY ! ! ! DONALD TRUMP WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT.
Community
Too far left, not balanced politically Apr 25, 2022

By Jack Smith

Seems every day there are 4 or 5 lead stories about failures of Trump and / or his administration. News flash...Trump has been out for 18 months. Certainly there are lots of stories about Biden's failed presidency. Yet tg6ey don't seem to get much, if any, coverage on this site. Interesting, too, that among the many media outlets contributing articles, Fox, which leads all others in cable news, is not included. That about says it all! more
Community
Woke, liberal crap. very anti conservative. Jan 5, 2022

By Ken Masterson

Far from objective. Anti conservative, anti Trump. Uninstalled it.
Community
I THOUGHT this would be a good middle of the road app Nov 18, 2021

By L French

I just uninstalled this app. I want to see both sides of the news, not your personal liberal agenda. Nothing like I had hoped it would be. And blowing me up with ads... :(
Community
A lot of bull and lies fake stories. Oct 31, 2021

By joanna samford

Some articles like from The Blaze are bald faced lies. If you cannot print the truth why should anyone read your news. The Mirror, The Blaze, AON. you print these papers rag stories. Getting rid of this app.
Community
Biased Fake new Joe Biden supporters Oct 10, 2021

By Lyle Emmons

Claim to be unbiased. Total Bull Sh#t. Biden lover welcome all other look elsewhere. I am uninstalling app. I do not need to know what that TIRED OLD MAN YOU ELECTED KING thinks. Age limits, term limit!!!!!!!
Community
Please get rid of the pop up ads Oct 2, 2021

By Kyra

I loved this app until recently when I started getting full page pop up ads (very loud too) with no way to exit the screen. Very annoying. I won’t use anymore.
Community
Just Look At Their News Sources Sep 29, 2021

By Ernie Thomas

CNN, MSNBC, Huffington, USA Today, Buzz Feed and other left or far left sources..they claim they balance all of the left sources with FOX, so it is totally unbiased, but you should check sources…such a joke. Do you want to check all of your reading sources?? I hope someone sues them to prove they are “unbiased”…and of course damages. Don’t waste your time. Disgusting. more
Community
LIBERAL NEWS SITE FALSELY ADVERTISED AS UNBIASED Sep 21, 2021

By Voice of Sanity

LIBERAL NEWS SITE DISGUISED AS UNBIASED - ANY DAYS SOURCES & HEADLINES CONFIRM THIS - FALSE ADVERTISING

See All Community Reviews

Expert
1. Award-winning news app downloaded over 25,000,000 times in over 100 countries
2. Condenses and delivers headlines from top news outlets: NBC, MSNBC, USA Today, TIME, Reuters, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more
3. “Browse headlines quickly, customize your channels, and read the news offline...an excellent free alternative to other popular news apps.” - CNET
more

See All Expert Reviews

Commercials. Dec 12, 2019

By JDII.

I have been (inundated)as of late, been looking for another platform to get my daily news needs met as I am informe and very interested in social issues in my neighborhood and my country on a daily basis,until recently, “I noticed that as I was reading or might I say(trying )to read a (interesting (ed op)I was repeatedly interrupted by the annoying commercials that you have allowed companies to interject into your forum,as I have to lost track an at times interest in what I have an interest in reading,then I must stop and look for that very small (x) and then try and tap on it with my large thumbs,because I don’t always carry a (stylus all times, well that being said I began looking for an alternative for(you)I’m not interested in commercials while I am reading,it is bad enough when I watch television,I understand you have a need to pay bills but it help if we were at least given an option to look and or listen as opposed to feeling like a (captive in your program,I do like your format as I can go to top and pick and change topics at will, but the commercials just pop up so fast that I get (frustrated,and start looking for another venue..Thank you James in (Sacramento. more
Love!!! Aug 28, 2020

By ColeyDets

I love reading the news - but I hate news with an agenda. Before SmartNews, I had my local Fox News app, which is about as non-bipartisan as you can get. The reason I love SmartNews is because it gives me ALL the news...all sides, from literally all media outlets. I can go to the local tab (includes everything from the local Fox plus much more) or see what’s happening in our government, or the world, or to look at funny memes and animal pic compilations. I love how it’s not all doom-and-gloom news, they include the feel-good news, too! It’s amazing!!! I would highly recommend this app to anyone, 10-stars, big thumbs up 👍👍👍👍👍👍 P.S. I LOVE the recently read feature!!! 👏👏👏 Edit: I looked over some other reviewers and I’m completely floored that people would say this app has an agenda!! Every article is from its original source, so it’s clear where the article came from. If you get triggered by one side or the other, then go into your settings and adjust the scale so that you get what you want 🙂👍 more
Jun 26, 2022

By Mary Kitts

I have this app on all my devices. It's my go to news reader. But lately the ads are getting a bit too much. I'll be reading and all of a sudden I'm in my browser because I accidentally touched a static ad in the news app. Today for some reason it's not loading any stories. I hope that's fixed soon. Thank you to the Devs for creating this app. more
App Continuously Freezing up May 23, 2021

By Talonhawk101

When I first started using the app, the fact that it equally showed all sides of the equation. Left-right-Qs-nut cases etcetera. However, lately the app has started to freeze up after a few minutes of use. Sometimes it will unfreeze, but mostly it stays frozen until the app closes itself or in frustration I say screw this and and close the app myself. The same has happened to my girlfriend who introduced me to the app, so I know it’s not my phone which is btw a brand new. Both she and I have removed the app multiple time and re-installed it to the same results. Don’t get me wrong the info on the app is very informative and sometimes hilarious when the app is working. But it’s freezing up more than it works. Especially when you get to the middle that one really interesting article and boom frozen. The article might be there when it comes on but mostly it’s not. Just wanted you to know. A faithful but frustrated fan more
Review Oct 2, 2021

By Mlance

I absolutely love this application I found it by accident within the first 30 days you came out and I’ve been using it since I recommend it to all of my friends but there is one floor that fathers actually two floors that I would like to correct first floor is the ability to leave a review about an article read through your service and I would like the ability or have an area where we could have reviews for article and then go and find them or leave them etc. because some of the stories that you put out through no fault of your own make people look like a circus clown and I would like to comment on this check Rudy Giuliani for example there’s nowhere else to go with that one anyway moving forward if you could add that feature I appreciate it second feature if there’s a way to send a News app I guess so better to my phone saying breaking story if I want to add that feature is that available? more
Wow Jul 27, 2019

By Samarnett14

Downloaded because I like these types of apps to read all the news soon as I opened it I could clearly see whoever does this has a hand in the liberal agenda to destroy America it’s way obvious then I read one of their cringe worthy articles and realize they really are scared most the new generation along with older hipsters and all the career students that racked up debt on pointless wemon study degrees etc. are so afraid they’re everyone else will pay for my bills and generally lazy lifestyle don’t fear trump doesn’t even need to campaign watch and see the deplorable will show up faster than you liberals can create voters bus them in from Mexico Canada it’s not even a possible outcome to loose I been over this whole country the last year just count bumper stickers from even the last election most elections even the winners voters take them off but they’re all still on even the Hillary jail ones and I’m pretty sure she has died already or went back to her hole she came from more
Close to perfect, I’m sure they can get there though... Dec 26, 2020

By TravelingFootballDad

So let’s address the complainants about bias - out of the box, the app may appear to have a slant - but that’s also because the majority of the news outlets have a slant - can’t help that if you are a new aggregator - that being said, the devs have provided a library of sources that spans the spectrum of ideology and you can easily tweak the app to your own bias or neutrality or whatever you want to call it. In other words, customize the app, do not expect the app to read your thoughts. The single item of improvement - I get everyone needs to have a revenue source and SmartNews is no different - in their case, ad revenue is their source. Give us the option to opt out of ads by purchasing an ad-free subscription - monthly/annually/one-time - give us the option to either deal with the ads or remove them. Keep producing a solid product - doing great overall. more
Thank you! Jan 7, 2022

By Km Jen

I thank you for existing and I really like the format. I find it easy to use and reasonably spaced well so my eyes aren't overwhelmed I find interesting that people are noticing a liberal bias as well, but I blame the media for that, not the developer. I'm not affiliated so I was looking for something that offers multiple perspectives and topics. I'm impressed with the selection so far. Reason magazine in particular. I like that you can customize your own choices for more control and better balance. At any rate , i got this app to leave my comfort zone on occasion. It has been enlightening and sometimes frightening. But I'm tired of being in an echo chamber. Break away from divisive forces and understand each other better. This app makes me feel like I'm doing that in a small way. Thanks to the developers for the service and I hope they welcome some smaller, indie news sites in the future more
Great News App Jul 1, 2022

By Hazeldad

This is an aggregator with a pretty comprehensive collection of sources. The basic presentation strikes a good balance as well. You can see five or six stories at a glance so that you can quickly find one that interest you as opposed to apps that fill the screen with the picture and require more scrolling. With the addition of topical tabs that allow you to organize by theme, smart news has taken a big step forward. You can also select specific sources for tabs. Being able to follow news by both topic and source put SmartNews in a category by itself. The “top” News has a fair bit of fringe stuff, and isn’t as good as it used to be. There are two UI improvements I would like to see: First, make it so that one can swipe from story to story without going back to the main page. Second, get rid of the new full screen pop-up ads. They’re really quite annoying. more
Smart, direct, honest Sep 22, 2018

By beishaolin

This is one of only 2 apps that I use for news. I prefer news that is just that: news. The feeds come from a variety of sources and one can choose what one reads. In our unhealthy news climate, there is a present danger of buckling to the insanity of fringe news from actual non-news sites that cater to a select type wishing to reinforce their agenda. This app keeps the news as it is and unfiltered. For those who only want to read their own talking points back and forth in a limited circle squeezing each other off, they can probably tweak their choices to arrive at that too, but how sad. The news is about fair coverage as it is given by long established and sincere journalists. I appreciate such a well written app and the plethora of offerings from news of all types. Please keep up the good work. Do not succumb to those tiny voices who wish to change the very definition of news. more

See all 5 reviews

Fantastic Function and Fav App but iPhone Capacity Issues Dec 18, 2021

By Zan Wilson

I love the news I get; frequently from cities I didn’t even realize it was tracking for me! Far superior to anything else I’ve ever seen I might be getting addicted this; I spend more time than I think I ‘should’ reading really interesting stuff that’s relevant to me. It’s not a five because it seems to ‘consume’ my iPhone 7 (with max memory)! Here’s what I mean: 1) Frequent pauses/freezes that can last quite a while. Some correct themselves with time, others don’t seem to. 2) Frequently I can’t open iPhone Notes to store an article. It just freezes! This is almost to the point rarely try anymore. But my memory is so bad what’s the point of reading all of this if a can’t save a link to it for later? 3) I was informed by the iPhone that my battery is going bad. However, this App seems to consume tons of power. If I stop using it for a day my ‘power issues’ seem to disappear. If I need a newer/faster iPhone for this app just let me know. If that’s not the issue, any suggestions? Alex PS - I’d like to store direct links to some of the news - is there an easy way to do this? Another suggestion: when I’m done reading an article option to remove from list or retain for a while (I may wish to forward to a friend ...... when it’s daylight again - ha, perhaps I am addicted! more
A couple bugs and a suggestion Sep 20, 2020

By tmanokc

I recently reset my iPad’s settings and content, and upon reinstalling SmartNews, the app’s notifications won’t push anymore. It misses the scheduled update notification times and doesn’t display breaking news notifications. Stories aren’t even being put in the inbox. Also, for a long time, some stories featured on the app are unable to display the full article text in “smart mode”, either omitting paragraphs or not being parsed at all or correctly to display the complete text featured in the original source page. Oddly, the notifications were still working properly when I upgraded my iPad from iPadOS 13.7 to 14.0 after the latter OS was released, with the most recent SmartNews update installed. Also, I’d like to suggest changes to the weather page to include a summary of the current weather observations (adding dew point, wind, barometric pressure, “feels like” temperature, visibility and humidity, along with sky conditions and air temperature). The current format of putting just the current temperature and sky conditions in the hourly forecast panel just doesn’t make sense, given that the weather page provides more detailed information on the forecast while only providing the bare minimum when it comes to current conditions. more
Favorite app Dec 14, 2021

By CRanger

Officially un usable. As a news junkie this app has been my most used for years now. Layout is better than any other by far. Popups have rendered it garbage. Make a paid version if you need revenue, add more ads in feed. Popups are a deal breaker. I can’t even imagine they are a viable ad format given my first inclination is to shut down the app once they appear. Doubt I’m alone in this. Good luck. Ya finally killed it for me. Back to my other news sources, sadly. Update: Hung in there a while more in hopes popups would go away. Got more frequent, and now an additional popup has shown up. Sad. Best news format out there. Done. DELETE Update: Came back to see if any decent changes would make app usable again. Nope. At least not in the ‘Top News’ Tab. Wish I could just delete it and stick with the other tabs I’ve created. Top News is anything but. Literally jam packed with garbage news from unknown sources. I can’t spend all my time checking validity of obscure news sources. Wish app would stick with known sources regardless of bias and leave all the suspect sources and fluff stories to a separate tab. Update: App now allows for some customization. MUCH better in my opinion. Some news sources are just not worth my time, but to each his own. Nicely done. more
Would give 5 but... Nov 21, 2019

By Upsetusernumber99

First off, to anyone complaining about it being “left leaning,” use your head for more than five seconds and control your emotions. I mean that seriously. The app is customizable to allow you to choose the exact news sources you want to see, provided they are in the app. Even if (not saying it is), the app is “left leaning”, do what I do. Just read from sources you trust, just add the right leaning channels. Or, get a bit of balance and have both sides presented before you when you open the app.. which is kinda the point of the app if you’ve seen the commercials. Anyways, I would give 5 stars if there’s a bit more customization. Customization on notifications, frequency of notifications, notifications for new stories from specific channels, etc. And, I would love a “Save for Later” feature. I often find myself opening the app, scrolling through, and seeing several headlines that sound interesting but I don’t have the time or just don’t want to read them at the time. Atm I’m just saving the link to those articles in Notes. I’d much rather be able to tap a button or two that saves it within Smart News itself in a “Save for Later” tab. more
Solid, simple and customizable Jan 28, 2020

By airguitarbandit

I really like the simplicity of this app, especially the smart view of articles that strips away all the ads and such (though it does take images with it sometimes, it’s tricky). I also like that I can set a location and get local stuff mixed in. I would love a history feature where I can see a list of articles I’ve viewed, even the last like 25 would do. I often will want to share good stuff with someone when the topic comes up later in the day or I’ve even locked my phone halfway through an article, then get a notification for another interesting story and click it, only to remember I still had that other article finish which is now gone. Just a suggestion. Overall, really dig the app. Update: starting to see what others are saying about the spam-y articles seemingly being added to the “top” feed. I’ve unsubscribed to all the general channels and only follow publications now, but my top feed still has CNN and Buzzfeed mixed in. I assumed top feed was the aggregate of what I follow and nothing else. Would much prefer that. more
Very Reasonable News App Nov 17, 2021

By MazelTovCoctail

Nothings perfect, especially today in age, but SmartNews does a reasonable job of it. It sees fairly thoughtful updates and management. The app obviously has bias. It has content algorithms and other ‘features’ that are standard practice in the industry today. So please take what you see with a grain of salt. They make occasional updates and monetization choices that aren’t great, but aren’t the end of the world. They maintain a fairly consistent layout and design, which is a huge plus compared to some other online services. The density of information and speed of headline updates is better than most other news apps. ONE BIG ANNOYANCE, many articles feel throw-away. Sometimes random feeling refreshes replace all the articles I’m scrolling though and it feels jarring and frustrating. Like, what if I wanted to read all those articles? Maybe just add new articles to the top or something? Take this app with a grain of salt, remember to always be aware of human and algorithmic bias. Aside from that, this app is great. more
Stop the Popups! Jan 7, 2021

By NubianP6

I have been using Smart news several times a day, every day for years now, and I have enjoyed it for the most-part. However, as of January 1, 2021, I am now being greeted by a pop-up urging me to enable location services, which I have no desire to do. It is understandable that the app would request permission for such a feature, but it is requesting permission after EVERY•SINGLE•STORY read! It is beyond annoying and feels like harassment! If this problem isn’t rectified within a week, I will be uninstalling this app. Your readers should be given a choice of which features to enable, and not be harassed when they don’t choose in accordance with YOUR preferences. Update: I am updating my review to reflect a 4-star rating, because I am no longer being bombarded with popups. For everyone who’s whining about the app being too “left-leaning”, perhaps you should search for a Breitbart app, or some other tabloidesque news affiliate...and this is coming from an Independent. more
Decent but sometimes confusing Jun 11, 2021

By Rheneas1

I have used this app as my main news source for a couple of years now. A good variety of news sources and points of view. Perhaps a little too heavy on celeb and retro TV stories, Costco and fast food news, but that’s okay. It would really be helpful if the article listings indicated what country they are coming from. I open an article about new ATM withdrawal rules, and it pertains to India. I open an article about something new McDonalds is offering and it’s in the UK. Wendy’s is offering a strawberry Frosty, but in Canada. If my app is set for US, I don’t expect a headline to be about Australia. Or Argentina. It’s okay, but I don’t want to have to dig into an article to find out it isn’t relevant. Then the algorithm thinks I was interested and then it sends more irrelevant content. Listing the country source (even a flag or country abbreviation) would really be helpful and informative. (Can’t go by the name of the publication because you can’t always tell). more
Oh Please Jan 31, 2020

By blishblash

So many comments from conservative folks about the “fairness” of the news on here. News is only supposed to be factual. It’s just supposed to be the reporting of events and what folks said. So when the news reports on that terrible thing Donald Trump said or did and you can’t believe that - even though there may be video right in front of you of DT doing or saying these things - maybe you need to get help to realize what is actual reality and what is Donald Trump’s reality. I’m in fact on the opposite end. Seeing “news” from Pluralist, FoxNews, TheBlaze when the reality of these outlets is outright lying and propaganda designed to only help Trump - it makes me want to delete SmartNews. That crap isn’t news. I wish the developers of this app well as they are in a tough position. Hopefully one day the Fairness Doctrine can be implemented again. Although I have a feeling conservatives would label the Doctrine some sort of liberal conspiracy. Or whatever crazy thing Trump drills in their heads. more
Lots of news from multiple perspectives Oct 12, 2019

By lirielmcr

I really like being able to customize my newsfeed to suit my reading habits without having to pay or subscribe to a particular news source. If I want to read more about a particular story there are links to other articles about the topic. There is lots of interesting information available from multiple perspectives in one place. Here is my personal pet peeve. While I can add or delete topics I cannot add or delete a particular source. I would like to be able to delete individual “news” sources, as I don’t consider some of them to be reputable and would prefer them not to clutter up my feed. I just do not want to know the latest malicious gossip about the royal family of England, and I have strong negative feelings about outlets that report that kind of dreck. Yes, you IBT!!!! There is a reason that I don’t have a gossip tab on my feed. Please allow me to make this go away! more

See all 4 reviews

Jun 8, 2022

By shawn anderson

Love this app, except.... I selected that video ads do not autoplay, but they do when I try to leave an article. Not only that, but unmuted. Plus, frankly, I'm tired of ads that hold me hostage when I leave an article. Eveytime that happens, I turn off the app and skip the ads and just restart the app. Even muting my phone does not seem to turn off the audio on these ads. Of course these always seem to go when I'm in a place that needs quite like a clinic waiting room. I don't mind banner ads. more
Jun 27, 2022

By Stacey Shay

I love having so many news sources in 1 place! Update 6/2022 - what happened? Suddenly I have ads popping up that I can't click out of until it plays. These are the most annoying ads. I don't mind the ads that are non intrusive, but when the ad covers what I'm reading, I don't have time to wait for it to end. I would urge the developers to stop using those types of ads because it makes me not want to use the app. I'd rather go to the individual news websites than deal with those types of ads. more
Jun 13, 2022

By P VH

I appreciate this app for it's variety of article sources and the diverse array of it's content. However, this app- like so many others- suffers from the ever increasing use of intrusive advertisement. Banner ads sprinkled into headlines kinda make sense but I feel that adding 30 second video ads when you are finished reading an article may be a step too far. I end up putting my phone down instead of continuing to browse articles. It could benefit from fewer notifications as well. more
Jun 12, 2022

By Jack Burn

Used to be awesome. Now there are two many ads, & they open in a separate browser window FAR to easily. Also, now I have to suffer thru pop-up video game ads where they play a round before revealing the closing 'X' button. I usually just close the app immediately & restart. I'm about to find another news aggregator if it gets any worse. I don't keep 2 star apps. more
Customizable news Apr 6, 2021

By jdilch422

SmartNews allows the user to select news by topic (business, science, entertainment, politics) or by source (CNN, Fox, Huffpost). Any one who says the stories that are presented are “too liberal” or “too conservative” need only select sources they like so they can stay in their echo chamber and never hear another opinion. Pros: wide variety of topics and sources; stories can be viewed on the Web tab or the Smart tab, which eliminates some of the ads and clutter found on the Web tab; allows the user to see news from sources they might not usually visit. Cons: recent update now allows full page pop up ads and also allows some ads to play music while viewing the selected news item with no way to turn off without exiting the page. REALLY ANNOYING, and has the effect of wanting to never buy a product advertised in this manner; most stories aren’t dated, and can hang around for days; some sites are clickbait/fake news but get tossed into the mix with reputable sites; the Local tab isn’t always local news and can show news from places on the other side of the state. Would have given four stars but the new ad policy cuts it to three. more
Useful within Limits Jul 19, 2021

By Invisible Mikey

I live in a small town in Washington state. I use news aggregation apps to increase my access to local stories. Like many other competing apps, this one regularly confuses articles about “Washington” (the state) with ones about “Washington DC” (the nation’s capital). I have to sort through the relevant vs irrelevant items. This may be a limit common to current search engine algorithms, an inability to refine results within the same keyword. Aside from that problem, I like the way this app is able to be configured to favor a wide range of specific topics as you refine your interests. The tab arrangement facilitates rapid navigation. The ads are able to be scrolled past easily. They don’t obscure content on the home page, which is a plus. I do not like the ambiguous “pitch” notification used under the “profile” button to try to get your email, which suggests signing in will make the app work significantly better or faster. I tried it side-by-side several times with other friends who signed in while I didn’t. We got identical results with the same topics selected, whether signed in or not. That alone cost the app a “star”. more
Jun 12, 2022

By reed thomas

Great hub for local and top news. But I have noticed two bugs involving ads. One when I click on an article and get publiser title, author, introductory paragraph and an ad below all of that most of the time every thing but the ad goes dark and I have to scroll past the ad skipping the first paragraph to read anything. Two after leaving an article I sometimes get a timed ad break and after that ad reel the app sends me back to the top of the feed making it hard to pick up where I left off. more
Jun 30, 2022

By Dirk Caudill

I downloaded this app because the TV ads said that the app provided both sides of news stories. While that is technically true, the "smart" in smartnews apparently means that it tracks my previous reading and then sends me those news stories over Others that might be of as much interest. After several months of using this app, it's, it seems I only get selected stories of topics I've already clicked on and it's becoming redundant to say the least. I would prefer a little lass smart... more
Becoming more social and celebrity news source Sep 15, 2019

By Exmon11

When I first saw the app - was pleasantly surprised on the scope of of the feeds - seemed to collect from all sources. Now it seem too many - perhaps based on trends of what people are clicking on the most from each of the “news sources”. My observation : Looking at the “Top” stories tab it appears to me 50% of the stories are not what I consider news but how some socialite lost their spouse, who is sleeping with who, how a Instagram star was refused service because they were being obnoxious... I generally do not see the value of the stories on that section which is disappointing. To me those types of stories are interesting but it is not news. I know they are eye catching but feels more like buying a family size bag of tortilla chips only finding it 1/4 full of chips and 3/4 air because the product is sold by weight and not volume... I did not want the air - I wanted to chips... HOWEVER the app does most other do not - pull from sources you don’t see on others like Google News, Apple News...etc. I like SmartNews and will continue to use it as my top news aggregator but will generally avoid Top tab. more
Jun 14, 2022

By anthony ciro

I used to really like this app. Little by little it's going downhill. Now, the inability to back out of an ad until it finishes, especially when my settings are set to not play ads and sound but it does anyway may push me over to uninstall. Just offer a paid version maybe, with more control. more

See all 3 reviews

Jun 21, 2022

By Jon M

As others have said, the hostage ads with full volume that auto play are beyond annoying. The only way to stop it is by force closing the app. And I have do not auto play videos enabled... There's enough ads in the rest of the news articles, etc that the annoying pop ups don't need to be there. It ruins the experience of this app for me. Also, why can't I select the type of news I want to see? I don't want to see sports and can't shut that off? more
Jun 12, 2022

By Jerry W

Can't stand the full screen, loud, can't close adds!! These things pop up all the time now. I have my phone on vibrate while at work. These stupid adds scream like it's the end of the world. Others in the office get annoyed too. I have been searching for a new news app for about 2 weeks now. I think I found what I like. Just a matter of days, maybe hours this app will be off my phone for good!!! more
Jun 22, 2022

By Jeff Howard

Stale news with blaring full screen ads. I can't tell if I'm reading what happened yesterday or a week ago. Does a good job of getting news stories that otherwise would cost a subscription to view. Needs dates like google news has. Videos autoplay although I've specified them not to. I've used this app for a few years now and the ads keep getting more and more intrusive. Looking for an alternative source for my news. From 5 stars down to 2 and about ready to uninstall. more
Jun 18, 2022

By Grant DeRemer

The news part of this app is very good. I enjoyed the way you can tailor it to what you like and over time it gets better at finding the stuff you want to see. However they recently switched the way ads run on the app. They used to be display ads and you could close the ad and go back to the news. But now it totally locks up your phone for a full 30 second ad. That is totally unacceptable and unfortunately worthy of an uninstall. more
Enjoyable so far! May 13, 2022

By ktkp22

I’ve had this app for a handful of days and I enjoy it quite a bit. I can see myself using it regularly - not a download and forget type app. The automatic local news and the “smart view” is a great touch! I used Apple News about a year ago but deleted it because everything felt “curated” to what they think I need to hear vs what I actually want to read. One addition that I would like that this app does NOT have - Screenshotting/exporting entire articles. I love to save news clippings here and there and this app (nor any other I’ve come across?) has that feature. Updated after a few months (changed from 5 stars to 2): I ended up deleting. The sports news is of no interest to me and there no way to turn this off. The app is just a nuisance at this point. I also noticed most news is swayed away from the conservative side (maybe there’s just more left leaning news out there). But the app wasn’t picking what I actually READ as an interest vs. articles I clicked on and had no interest in reading. The app has great potential it just wasn’t suiting my needs. more
Not a bad app but!!! Mar 25, 2019

By Neogambit

I read a lot of the reviews on here and every one is I thought you said this app is “balanced” news. But everybody is complaining it’s not balanced because all there looking for is one side of the story. There either for Trump or against him. They don’t want to hear the other side. To Trump supporters of its not Fox News it’s Fake news. So why are you looking to find “balanced” news when you really don’t want to hear it??? The same goes the other way. The second thing. The reason I gave this app a low score is because I understand you have a free app and you need revenue but the pop up adds and all the advertising is absolutely ridiculous. There are news sources that don’t even let you see the news because there advertising for you to buy something from them. CNN has at least 4-5 pop ups in the first 10-15 seconds. I couldn’t even go into a comments section because it just kept popping up to the same exact spot even if I tried to scroll up or down. It is ridiculous. I think I’ve had enough of this app. I’ll find my news (on both sides) somewhere else. more
Biased info Jan 16, 2021

By NZ Fun

This is definitely fully Democrat biased information. I would like to see a little more balance instead of just as much Negative information you can possibly muster up toward the Republicans. I am in between and like to look at both sides of the story instead of all one way. Maybe Trump has made some bad choices, but so has The left with condoning all the riots that took place this last summer! That certainly wasn’t publicized and ridiculed like this situation with Trump is! There is a balance in there and I would like to see some of the Positive things Trump has done for this country talked about too instead of only negative! Your news right ups can’t even say one positive thing about our first lady who is elegant and beautiful with her word and morals. You only criticize her if she doesn’t smile perfectly every moment of every speech, only things Nancy Pelosi has to say get out there when it’s derogatory toward Republicans! There is good and bad to both sides and I would like to see a balance of reporting for both sides not just all negative toward the conservatives. more
Used to be the best, now becoming unusable Feb 25, 2021

By Pop is Glorious

I’ve been a loyal user for years, and recommended this app to plenty of people. Now, it’s hardly functional, freezes constantly, and the ads have gone from full-screen pop-ups, to ads being wedged in between every 3rd headline. I understand the need for ad revenue, but charge me $5 up front, and clean up the ad garbage. When it works, it is an amazing news aggregator, and lets you parse a huge portion if the internet, quickly. Also, don’t buy into the reviews complaining about bias and bad reporting; this is a news aggregator, not a journalistic endeavor. It crawls the internet, automatically, and grabs content from random sites. Repeat, there are no reporters who work for Smart News. It is a robot piping in content from all over the internet, enabling the user to quickly scan content without visiting various sites. Fix the overheating and battery drain, scale back the ads, even if it costs users upfront, and allow specific topics/sites to be excluded by keyword, and this would be a 5 star app again. more
Coverage of Politics Aug 3, 2021

By Marveleveta

You are without a doubt more biased and slanted than all of the mainstream media combined. I am a registered Democrat who votes independent if need be and even that does not make your biased and disgustingly leftist views acceptable. I have read and watched you distort everything from Koby zbryant’s death to BLM, to Charlottesville to basically scrape bottom on any, all, everything President Trump has tried to do. Your rag has spread rumor, gossip, and liras and downright malicious slander. I am done with you and I will post a negative comment every single day on your 🤮🙈biased site! I had hoped for real journalism!! I got rumor, gossip, innuendo and leftist propaganda. I detest your site!! I am a former reporter and journalist; the trash and lies and bias you put on line is appalling and disgusting! DONE with you!! I intend sending a copy of this review to all 1000 plus people on my list to warn them you are just another outlet pushing a hate all things Republican agenda. And I am not even a Republican. Your journalistic integrity is NONEXISTENT!! You should be required to register as a lobbyist for the left!!🙈🤬🤬🤬🤬🤨🤮 more
Was a STRONG 5 Stars but new updates = problems Mar 14, 2021

By Jkjace

Let’s start with the overall use of this app. I LOVE most aspects of it, and have been using it for years. I have gotten all my friends and family to install it and they have all become huge fans... until recently. The news on the app is still great, I feel so much more informed because of this app. I get every side of the news and can make my own decisions! I love it! Now to the bad... these recent updates took this from my lifeline app to one that is slowly working its way into my unused folder. I understand the need for ads, of course the developers need to make money somehow. My issue isn’t with the ads it’s with the app constantly freezing, refreshing in the middle of reading an article that then I can never find again and so on. Countless times a day now I’m forced to close the app and reopen it while in the middle of reading the news because the app just freezes and failed to respond. This is all fairly recent and I’m holding on hoping they fix this soon because this app really was amazing. I Would even be willing to pay for a paid version or even a subscription if they offered it but whatever they did when they rolled out video adds completely broke the app for me and everyone I had gotten to use this app. We all greatly miss it! Please please please fix this! Additional info for devs: I’m running an IPhone XS Max on iOS 14.4 I do run a VPN but I appear to have freezing issues even when my VPN is turned off more

See all 2 reviews

Community
Hate the gaming ads! Jun 14, 2022

By Zane Sullivan

This is a wonderful news app that has been ruined by unstoppable gaming ads.
Community
Smart News TOO FAR LEFT May 30, 2022

By Pareja Young

Smart News should be DUMB NEWS ! ! ! BARACK OBAMA was the WORST PRESIDENT in US HISTORY ! ! ! DONALD TRUMP WAS A GREAT PRESIDENT.
Community
Too far left, not balanced politically Apr 25, 2022

By Jack Smith

Seems every day there are 4 or 5 lead stories about failures of Trump and / or his administration. News flash...Trump has been out for 18 months. Certainly there are lots of stories about Biden's failed presidency. Yet tg6ey don't seem to get much, if any, coverage on this site. Interesting, too, that among the many media outlets contributing articles, Fox, which leads all others in cable news, is not included. That about says it all! more
Community
Woke, liberal crap. very anti conservative. Jan 5, 2022

By Ken Masterson

Far from objective. Anti conservative, anti Trump. Uninstalled it.
Community
I THOUGHT this would be a good middle of the road app Nov 18, 2021

By L French

I just uninstalled this app. I want to see both sides of the news, not your personal liberal agenda. Nothing like I had hoped it would be. And blowing me up with ads... :(
Community
A lot of bull and lies fake stories. Oct 31, 2021

By joanna samford

Some articles like from The Blaze are bald faced lies. If you cannot print the truth why should anyone read your news. The Mirror, The Blaze, AON. you print these papers rag stories. Getting rid of this app.
Community
Biased Fake new Joe Biden supporters Oct 10, 2021

By Lyle Emmons

Claim to be unbiased. Total Bull Sh#t. Biden lover welcome all other look elsewhere. I am uninstalling app. I do not need to know what that TIRED OLD MAN YOU ELECTED KING thinks. Age limits, term limit!!!!!!!
Community
Please get rid of the pop up ads Oct 2, 2021

By Kyra

I loved this app until recently when I started getting full page pop up ads (very loud too) with no way to exit the screen. Very annoying. I won’t use anymore.
Community
Just Look At Their News Sources Sep 29, 2021

By Ernie Thomas

CNN, MSNBC, Huffington, USA Today, Buzz Feed and other left or far left sources..they claim they balance all of the left sources with FOX, so it is totally unbiased, but you should check sources…such a joke. Do you want to check all of your reading sources?? I hope someone sues them to prove they are “unbiased”…and of course damages. Don’t waste your time. Disgusting. more
Community
LIBERAL NEWS SITE FALSELY ADVERTISED AS UNBIASED Sep 21, 2021

By Voice of Sanity

LIBERAL NEWS SITE DISGUISED AS UNBIASED - ANY DAYS SOURCES & HEADLINES CONFIRM THIS - FALSE ADVERTISING

See all 1 reviews

SmartNews: Local Breaking News

SmartNews: Local Breaking News

About
This App
Ratings & Reviews
Top
Features
What People Are Saying
Featured in App Store
Developer Information
Similar
Apps