I’ve been debating on getting Apple News+ lately. For the Wall Street Journal alone it is more then worth it. Is it a passive scroll for you that makes it worth it or do you have “reading sessions?” I find that I struggle with reading diligently on my phone and would kill for Apple to bring News+ to an Eink device though I know that will never happen. What is your experience with News+ do you recommend?
I occasionally go to the app and just read things that I see there.
But my most common use is that when I run across a reference to an article that has peaked my interest then I can go to Apple News and find the complete article there whether it be in the New Yorker, or Car and Driver or the Verge or the Atlantic or Scientific American.
For me it is a great source of frustration to become aware of an article and perhaps read couple of paragraphs from an article and then be unable to finish it. It remains a litte annoying because I have to open the app and then fiddle around doing a search to try and find the particular article. I cannot just click on something to transmit the fact that I am “entitled” to read it.
All said and done, for me Apple News is a fantastic deal. I am very happy with it.
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Perhaps, depending on how you read the WSJ. I’m not convinced it’s all there and it definitely becomes anemic if you need to look up old articles. My wife hates it but I don’t really mind, and yes the cost savings is considerable. Also dealing with the WSJ subscription department feels like dealing with a pack of thieves. So I won this “battle”. YMMV.
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I use Apple News more for the audio while driving or working on a project. I occasionally read an article there when i can’t read it on the web, The Atlantic is particularly good. The app itself does have some peculiarities, like trying to find an article again you were in the middle of reading.
How do I read the news?
With rigorous mental discipline, else the whole morning is lost.
@tomalmy is correct, not every article from every included news site is going to be there. (It will seem to be. But try it and you get “nya-nya! Gotta have a subSCRIPtion!”)
The selection of magazines adds a lot to the value proposition however.
I find that I would get way more out of Apple news if they had a better read it later interface. I kinda wish they could combine Safari Reading List and Apple News Saved into the same place or app. I’d get a lot more use out of Apple News if I could go back and read articles easier and could organize them.
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It’s why I wish they worked with an Eink maker for integration. Reading on my kindle keeps me off the mindless scroll. I am only tempted because a news source I really respect is in the News+ paywall but is $100 a year on its own. I don’t know how people can long term read on iPhones or even iPads. At best I can get a few comics that way.
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I’ll take a truncated version of the WSJ for the price of Apple News+ alone. I get a teacher discount of the Economist that is like Daily Headlines and 8 magazine articles for $22 a year.
Although I detest the ads embedded in articles, Apple News+ offers immense value, especially since it’s bundled with my Apple One subscription. I frequently read the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Politico, Washington Times, The Hill, Bloomberg Business Week, BBC News, Reader’s Digest, and many more. Speaking of Reader’s Digest 
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Whenever I come across an article of particular interest, I convert it to a PDF, create a citation, and save one of my research folders for future reference in articles and presentations.
And that, more than anything else, keeps me from subscribing to Apple News. I’ve probably subscribed to AN+ once every 18 months since it was introduced. And I end up canceling my subscription before the month is up every time. The ads are too BRIGHT for my devices in dark mode.
Besides, it’s rare when most/all of the content of any article isn’t available from multiple sources, the same or next day.
You’re correct, but I use Apple News to discover articles I may otherwise miss. Once I discover an article I want to read, I’ll often locate it on the web and use Reader mode to read it, thus avoiding the obnoxious ads.
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My local newspaper is in Apple News+ and that allowed me to cancel my subscription. I used to subscribe to New Scientist, New Yorker, Atlantic, Washington Post and Scientific American. Canceling those and reading in Apple News has more than paid for the yearly subscription.
The big difference maker for me was to identify topics I’m interested in (AI, Sports, Weather, Travel, etc) and let Apple News surface articles for me. That and ordering the sources that I want to see in the sidebar means that I am frequently seeing news that I’m not getting other places.
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That’s why I have paywalled publications in my RSS feed, that I don’t subscribe to. A partial sentence from a snippet, that they show on their site, is frequently enough for a successful web search.
Unlike the Apple TV streaming service, Apple News is considered a success by many. I guess I do too or I wouldn’t keep trying it from time to time, hoping for a change.
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Worth noting that your local library may offer free online access to many news sources as well. More hassle than opening a single app? Sure. But you can’t argue with the price (or the opportunity to support your local library)!
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This is a great tip! I have access to WSJ, Washington Post, The Economist, many Swedish, and local newspapers for free via our local library (in Finland, but I think this is something worth checking everywhere). The library have subscriptions that be accessed online using PressReader. Get a library card! 
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Not if your library offers Flipster and / or PressReader. My library offers both for free if you have a library card. I’ve downloaded the apps for both onto my mobile devices and log in with my library card credentials. It’s all there in one app.
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A note re Flipster and PressReader: They’re designed to read magazine issues and newspaper editions—i.e., they don’t offer a feed of articles from the sources or interests you’ve selected. If you want to read a particular magazine or newspaper, they’re fine, but if you want a daily curated feed of articles of interest, they’re not. Neither carries everything that Apple News does.
And finally, in many cases, the reading experience will be better on a computer or tablet than a phone.
But … You can read some premium titles for free if that’s what your budget allows.
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Since news aggregators seem to be under discussion, while I do use Apple News+ I also subscribe to Ground News which offers up articles across the political spectrum (and marks their slant if you are unfamiliar). I really like their approach. Doesn’t get you beyond any paywalls, however.
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This is true, and I think it is a good thing. Of course, sometimes one wants the latest news, but I like the balance of news one gets with the print editions.
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I really enjoy Apple News+. There are two ways I read it:
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One nice feature is that you can read articles in a “bundle,” as with a physical magazine. So you open the digital issue, scroll to read, and swipe to turn the page. I stay caught up with magazines this way. This is my “reading session”
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For quick headlines, I simply open the app, click the first article, read it, then swipe to the next one (instead of returning to the home page). I really try to avoid reading headlines without reading the articles under those headlines, because I do not want to be under the impression I know something that I actually don’t know. So swiping from article to article keeps me “in” an article at all times. This is my more “passive scroll”.
I don’t much use the read-it-later bookmark feature. As @unclekyle said, it’s not great. And iOS 26 hid the save for-later button even further.
I also use the audio narrated stories, but I listen to them in Podcasts, not News, alongside my NYT narrated articles and other audio podcasts.
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I have a few tips to make Apple News more pleasant:
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DNS and network-level content filters have the ability to block ads from apps that aren’t web browsers (such as News). NextDNS is an iOS app that is free (for moderate usage), and which has this capability. It is very simple to download and configure.
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In the News app section of Settings, there is a toggle for “restrict stories in today” - this will only allow articles from sources you have chosen to appear in your feed. This makes the app much more pleasant and less chaotic.
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Not nearly e-ink, but matte screen protectors for iPad make for a much nicer reading experience. There are removable ones! Although I keep mine on all the time.
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