Apple News is getting a significant update. The news aggregation app, which comes pre-installed on Apple devices, is introducing numerous new features for readers and premium subscribers, including audio stories, a daily audio briefing called "Apple News Today" and extensive local coverage.
The audio briefing is somewhat of a competitor to Alexa's Flash Briefing, which has become a popular way of reaching headlines. But in the case of Apple, the briefing is hosted by people, not a virtual assistant. The editors and co-presenters of Apple News, Shumita Basu and Duarte Geraldino, will guide the listeners in the headlines of the day. They will then spend the rest of the briefing discussing three or four articles in more depth.
In total, the briefing will last approximately 7 to 8 minutes and will be accessible to all Apple News readers in the United States. A new briefing will arrive every Monday to Friday and can be played in the Apple News app in the United States, in Apple podcasts, or can be started using Siri voice commands on all Apple devices, including Mac and HomePods.
Another new audio feature, audio stories, is only available to Apple News + subscribers. Starting today, Apple News will produce around 20 new audio stories per week on a range of topics, narrated by voice actors. These stories are not original content, but will instead be professionally narrated versions of reports and other long-lasting pieces published by Essence, Esquire, Fast Company, GQ, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TIME, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired and others, in addition to newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.
Apple several years ago had teamed up with SpokenLayer to bring audio storytelling to the news, but this was done to improve Apple's podcasts. The company now says it is not working with SpokenLayer, but is instead working with the vocal talent itself and recording the stories in its studios. Apple declined to say how many were hired to work on audio programming for Apple News, but confirmed that it has expanded staff specifically for audio.
Audio stories will only be made available to subscribers in the United States. Apple has not said whether it plans to expand its offering to international markets.
To make room for new audio features, the browsing experience of the Apple News app has been redesigned. There is now an "Audio" tab which directs users to new content at the bottom of the news application, between the "News +" and "Following" tabs at the bottom of the screen. When tapped, users will first see the latest episode of Apple News Today at the top of the screen, followed by the new audio stories you've added to the Up Next queue. Below are a series of personalized recommendations on what to listen to next.
While the card organizes the new audio programming, users will also be introduced to the audio while browsing elsewhere in the app. For example, as you scroll through the news in the Today tab or read the news + feeds, a new Audio News + badge will appear next to the stories that have a narration. You can then click on that story to begin the narration without having to switch screens. The feature will also allow you to switch back and forth between reading and listening as it will remember where you left off in a longer song and start there on your return.
In connection with these efforts, CarPlay will support the News app so that users can hear these audio stories and the Apple News Today briefing while driving. The progress of listening will also synchronize between the devices, as you switch from iPhone to car and vice versa.
While today's big news is the audio programming coming to Apple News, the app is also introducing extensive local coverage.
In selected markets - San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, New York, LA and Houston - Apple News will present a curated local news experience led by a local publisher. These sections will include a wider range of stories in areas such as the local climate, politics, sports, restaurants, restaurants and other news and will be customized for each reader. Apple News rival Flipboard recently launched a similar feature to capitalize on the demand for local news, particularly in the coronavirus pandemic where readers need access to local impact reports.
Apple News + has also expanded its selection of local and regional newspapers to now offer access to The Charlotte Observer, The Idaho Statesman, The Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The State ( Columbia, SC), in the United States In Canada, he added the French-language newspaper Le Devoir and will present The Globe and Mail later this summer.
While today the Apple News platform reaches over 125 million monthly active users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, reportedly joining the News + subscription has had difficulty growing its base. paid subscribers at launch. Earlier this year, Apple news service manager Liz Schimel, who managed relationships with publishers and advertisers, resigned after the subscription service started slowly, Bloomberg said.
Publishers participating in Apple News + retain 100% of the revenue from the ads they sell and can participate in backfill ads sold by Apple, maintaining 70% of the revenue. They can also sell their subscription and receive a reduction in Apple News + revenue, based on engagement.
But not all publishers believe that Apple News + is the best way to grow their business. The New York Times, for example, announced in June that it will no longer distribute articles in the Apple News app.
Despite reports, Apple claims to be satisfied with Apple News + traction. But today's new features are clearly designed to spur growth for the $ 9.99 paid subscription per month.
The new Apple News feature will come through software updates (iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6 or macOS 10.15.6), arriving today.
