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SmartNews: News That Matters 12+
Breaking Local News & Weather
SmartNews, Inc.
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- Free
- Offers In-App Purchases
Screenshots
Description
Here at SmartNews, we aggregate information to uncomplicate how you read news. With one free download, you get access to quality news, daily breaking updates, and interesting articles. Stay connected with the world through editor curation and state-of-the-art algorithms. Whether it's politics, local, sports, or entertainment, getting the news you need has never been easier.
Stay in the loop and explore your passions with news from top publishers: NBC News, MSNBC, USA Today, TIME, The Huffington Post, Bleacher Report, Quartz, The Verge, VICE, VOX, AP, Reuters, Buzzfeed, Fast Company.
SmartNews has millions of downloads, thousands of 5-star ratings, an array of trusted publishers, and was the “Best Local News App” of 2024 according to BestApp.com.
START YOUR DAY WITH SMARTTAKE
Escape from misinformation and stress with SmartTake. A free daily digest of unique, interesting, lighthearted, and balanced information to help you feel good about being informed. Thoughtfully curated by award-winning editors, SmartTake is here to feed your brain—not your bias—with quality global, local, entertainment, sports, politics, and health. Take a mental break from doomscrolling, and unwind with news that enriches your mind.
Balanced News
- Get access to balanced stories—for free.
- See coverage from every angle, all sides, across the globe.
-Discover balanced, non-partisan information you can trust.
Political News
- Get prepared for the elections, polls, and debates with top stories from across the political spectrum.
- See trusted political news for free with up-to-the-minute insights on legislation from Republicans and Democrats.
- Understand candidates, ballot measures, and city council elections in your area.
Trusted Sources
-We partner with thousands of trusted publishers for unbiased news from all sides.
-Our award-winning journalists validate content to ensure it meets our high-quality requirements.
- Read well-rounded, trustworthy breaking coverage for your area for free.
Entertainment News
-Get an inside look at entertainment in Hollywood with updates on celebrities from movie stars to reality TV.
-Discover top movies or TV shows with your favorite actors.
-Follow entertainment topics so you never miss a breaking celebrity story.
-Read news about the Oscars, Hollywood, Movie Stars, Fashion Week, and more.
Local News
-Get informative stories from quality publishers based on your location.
-See the latest local government coverage in your hometown
-Discover local updates, traffic, events, local weather, new restaurants, family activities, politics, school boards, and so much more.
Sports News
-Welcome to your spot for informative sports stories.
-Get daily articles highlighting the latest games, teams, players, and sporting events.
-Set notifications for your favorite teams.
-See breaking news about football, basketball, golf, tennis, soccer, and more.
Health News
-Discover the healthcare news that impacts you all in one free app.
-See what experts say about wellness, aging, and mental health from top publishers.
-Follow stories about pain relief updates, exercise trends, and home remedies.
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SmartNews in the News
“Browse headlines quickly, customize your channels, and read the news offline. SmartNews is an excellent free alternative to other popular news apps.”
- CNET
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SmartNews Awards
Best Local News App, 2024 (US)
Bestapp
Best News Aggregator, 2023 (US)
Lifewire
Best Free News App, 2023 (US)
MakeUseOf
Best News App, 2023 (US)
AndroidCentral
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Reviews
“Better than Feedly or Flipboard. Love it!” Joe C.
“Much better than the new version of Apple News.” - Donald B.
“Been using Google News but this is better. Much easier to share.” Nikki H.
“Literally, one of the best news apps… It ranks with the likes of BBC News.” -Lorraine C.
*Terms of Service
The SmartNews Terms of Service are linked below. Please read and confirm these terms before using our services.
https://www.smartnews.com/terms/
What’s New
Version 24.8.20
- Performance improvements and bug fixes to enhance your reading experience.
Ratings and Reviews
Stop the Popups!
UPDATE: (I am late posting this, but) within hours of me writing about my issue with pop-ups, the developers actually responded, and within a day or two, the problem was 100% rectified! I love developers who actually take the time to read and respond to the concerns of their customers, so because of that, SmartNews will forever have a supporter in me!
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.
Developer Response ,
Thanks for your feedback. We are currently working to address this issue and appreciate your patience.
-SmartNews
Used to be a five star
I’ve checked out many news packages but always preferred this one. Relevant news, good layout, easy to personalize, MODERATE ADVERTISING. There in lies our problem. More and more advertising. Now I understand why they need advertisers, everyone deserves a payday for their work. But while other apps are definitely worse, (every other story is an advertisement), plus they want to make you pay and subscribe to every news outlet, magazine or newspaper, et cetera. Now SmartNews is still better, but they keep coming up with sneaky ways to try and push you into clicking on their advertisers. What really annoys me is when you click out of a story back to the headlines….but it doesn’t take you there. An ad pops up and your forced to respond…. after several seconds so they can force feed you part of the ad, then you have to click a close button, or an X, or something else (“So you don’t want to save $$$?”), always different and in different places on the page so you are forced to read some of it because if you click the wrong spot it throws you out of everything to start over. And it’s becoming more frequent. The almighty dollar chase has ruined more than a few good companies.
Update: I’d like to add that this site just keeps getting worse. I’m looking for another news site. Now they have you tapping tapping tapping on adds waiting for an X to pop up so you can close it out. I don’t need the frustration. I’ll find another app. There are plenty of them.
Honest question about advertisements.
Could we please be allowed an option for a one-time fee for an advertisement removal, like some other apps offer? I have used this app in-great length for a few years now. I’ve noticed one of the ad’s changed. Instead of clicking the little ‘x’ once - you click it twice, and it changes locations. Touch sensitivity increased, as well, and Safari kept opening. I began to force close the app. I’m tired of sifting through insufferable advertisements - I would rather pay for a permanent removal to further enjoy the app because, at this moment, I’m unable to do so. Please keep it in consideration. My rating would be five stars if it weren’t for the insufferable advertisements, and I cannot remove them permanently. Great app overall. My personalized digest is terrific!
Update:
These advertisements have gotten out of hand. Sometimes I have to force quit the app. Also, now I can’t share links without them having the app… a FREE app? You simply compile them all in one location, why do you think you have the right to make people download the app to read articles that you didn’t even produce? Doesn’t make sense in the slightest. I share my news all the time, and now I have to go through extra steps.
App Privacy
The developer, SmartNews, Inc., 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 Used to Track You
The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:
- Location
- Contact Info
- User Content
- Search History
- Browsing History
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
- Other Data
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Location
- Contact Info
- User Content
- Search History
- Browsing History
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
- Other Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- SmartNews, Inc.
- Size
- 154.6 MB
- Category
- News
- Compatibility
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- iPhone
- Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPad
- Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later.
- iPod touch
- Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- Apple Vision
- Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- Languages
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English, Japanese
- Age Rating
- 12+ Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor Infrequent/Mild Medical/Treatment Information Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
- Copyright
- © 2012-2024 SmartNews, Inc.
- Price
- Free