theSkimm 12+

Worth the subscription money to read and hear news that is genuinely informative. If you love current events but get frustrated watching the news on TV, or if you feel like you have to listen to Fox News and CNN back-to-back to “get both sides” and “figure out what’s happening in the middle” .... theSkimm will make your life a whole lot easier. The subscription gives you access to a bunch of comprehensive guides on topics that are typically very polarizing (For example: The History of Labor Unions, the Hong Kong Protests, the Iran Nuclear Deal ....etc). The timeline of an issue is explained objectively to give context and then moments that are particularly controversial are pointed out. Then, both (or more) sides of the argument(s) surrounding the issue are presented. You know, like how news should be. My other favorite feature is the audio notes because I can just throw those on when I’m doing chores or when I’m driving. It’s crazy convenient - I don’t think I’ve ever in my life felt as deeply informed as I do now, and I barely have to try. Which is funny because I certainly used to spend a whole lot more time trying to figure out what’s going on in the world than I do now. Highly recommend.

I respect the idea behind this. One stop shop for news snippets and such. However, I must rate this low for one reason. A subscription fee. No matter how low, what reason should anyone pay for this? I’m not saying this because the content is poor, or it’s a bad app. I say this because all this information is already out there. The idea of short news podcasts has been done to death. No matter your politics, all the major news networks in the U.S., and beyond, already put out 10-15 minute news digests, FOR FREE. If this app had no subscription fee, it would likely be excellent. However, for some reason, the creators of this app feel they need to charge you for information already provided for free. Information that you most likely already know. Football fan? You knew when the games are. Political junkie? You keep up with all the political news already. I just don’t see the reason to pay money monthly to have spam alerts put in my calendar, get news digests, and really that’s it. I don’t see the need for anyone to pay for information already readily available. Skimm, your app seems great, and I’d love to use it. However, I don’t forsee a long future for this. If you switched to a free with ads model, I think there would be a greater future for y’all. But a subscription fee to get what’s so readily available from so many sources? What reason should I have to pay for already free information?

Hello, I just downloaded this app the other day and I have to say I’m really loving it. I’m a 27 year old stay at home mom and I can’t always have the news on or sit on my phone and read up on world affairs/daily news. This is one of the best apps I’ve ever come across. It covers everything and I love that it explains what certain things are like the (Nuclear deal) for example. That is my favorite part of the app. Since I tend to be out of the loop, I sometimes don’t know what things are about. I’m normally a Twitter user but this app goes far beyond because it takes the time to cover everything, stick with key points and explain what things are. I’m finding myself clicking on this app more so than Twitter now! I have no issues paying for this service whatsoever. Thank you to the creators of this app. I can tell a lot of love went into it and hard work on the daily. 5 stars from me!