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Home / Features / Mini Meme: News apps

Mini Meme: News apps

Have we got news for you...

Newspapers, TV bulletins… who cares? Arguably the best place to find out what’s going on in this fast-paced world is sitting in your pocket. 

And yes, we mean your smartphone, not that old Kit-Kat wrapper. We’ve looked at some of the best news-related apps for iOS, Android and even Windows Phone (!), almost all of them available free of charge, so without further ado feast your eyes on the current affairs bounty we have prepared for you.

Longform ((iOS)

Longform ((iOS)

The idea here is to buck the trend of bite-sized online articles and get people reading news stories with depth. The app sometimes comes across like a worthy Twitter, but there’s something great about it only listing articles of 2,000 words or more; it’s ideal for people who don’t have a short attention… SQUIRREL! Sorry, attention span.

Price: £Free

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Download Longorm for iOS here

Feedly (iOS/Android)

Feedly (iOS/Android)

When Google set fire to Google Reader, Feedly heroically took over, providing a robust, free way to subscribe to website RSS feeds. The world might look on in scorn from their Twitters and their Facebooks, but you’ll use this app and know you’re not missing important news due to an inundation of lolcat GIFs.

Price: £Free

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Download Feedly for iOS here

Download Feedly for Android here

Instapaper (iOS/Android)

Instapaper (iOS/Android)

Uniquely for this round-up, Instapaper isn’t designed to bring the news to you — you send the news to Instapaper, via a browser shortcut. It’s essentially, then, a PVR for saved articles, also stripping out junk to leave pure text and images. Got nothing to send? The ‘Browse’ section has you covered.

Price: £Free

Stuff says ★★★★

Download Instapaper for iOS now

Download Instapaper for Android now

Digg (iOS/Android)

Digg (iOS/Android)

Once the darling of the internet, social news site Digg fell on hard times and had to do the web equivalent of busking for pennies. Its current incarnation on mobile, dating from a 2012 relaunch, is very smart indeed. The app is simple but sleek, and the feeds feel as though they’ve been edited for you by actual humans.

Price: £Free

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Download Digg for iOS here

Download Digg for Android here

Flipboard (iOS/Android/Windows Phone)

Flipboard (iOS/Android/Windows Phone)

Apple News is clearly heavily inspired by Flipboard, so go for the original, which is also on Android. Follow people and topics! Compile and share custom mags! Get irritated by the gimmick that pretends scrolling doesn’t exist! You can also browse Twitter timelines, which is weird but oddly good.

Price: £Free

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Download Flipboard for iOS here

Download Flipboard for Android here

Download Flipboard for Windows Phone

Reeder (£3.99) (iOS)

Reeder (£3.99) (iOS)

For when Feedly isn’t enough, there’s Reeder – well, at least there is if you’ve got an iPhone. The app’s a stylish and smart way to browse and read RSS feeds, and the built-in ‘Readability’ view strips articles to copy and images alone. Apple might bang on about animations and bling, but we just want the words, man.

Price: £3.99

Stuff says ★★★★✩

Download Reeder for iOS here

RelatedHow to use Apple News

Profile image of Craig Grannell Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.