Netfax: Retro Teletext News
Your feeds, 1985 style
Only for iPhone
£0.99 · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Netfax: the news, as it looked in 1985.
Netfax turns today's headlines into a 40×24, eight-colour teletext screen, loosely inspired by Ceefax, Oracle, Prestel and the Stock Exchange's TOPIC. Type a three-digit page, press the coloured keys, and let the headlines roll past on a 25-second carousel.
The news can be pretty depressing these days. Seen through a low-res, eight-colour filter, it's a little easier to take.
• Bring your own news. Add any RSS feed, or tap Add News for a ready-made starter pack. Every story credits its publisher and links to the original.
• Feeds from any site. Type a website's address and Netfax finds its RSS or Atom feed, then shows its stories as teletext pages, as if you were watching on an old CRT telly.
• Full stories. Tap to read the whole article as flipping teletext pages, fetched on your device.
• Weather on 400, from Apple Weather.
• Money on 240, with ECB reference rates.
• Secret pages for ZX Spectrum fans. Dial 016 or 048 and bring your own Spectacle tape (.z80 or .tzx) to read Design Design's teletext-style magazine.
• A 1980s market screen on 690, with competing quotes, spreads and market makers. It's all simulated, all fictional and just for fun.
• Quizzes with REVEAL, recipes, world clocks and test cards.
• Teletext Camera: turn your photos into block-graphic art.
• Pages from Netfax: a full-screen tour of the service, set to specially commissioned easy-listening muzak.
• Pick your channel: four looks, from classic blue bands to viewdata green.
• No account, no tracking and no ads. Your feeds stay on your device.
Netfax is an independent app. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the BBC, ITV, BT or the London Stock Exchange. Ceefax, Oracle, Prestel and TOPIC are named only to describe what inspired it.
Ratings & Reviews
Load a Spectacle tape on your iPhone and it's on your TV too.
Dial 016 or 048 and bring your own .z80 or .tzx. Both Spectacles, forty years later.
Kudos to Simon Brattel and Design-Design for the inspiration.
The developer, Paul Desmond, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Provider
- Paul Desmond
- Size
- 26 MB
- Category
- News
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Paul Desmond
