What users complain about in news apps
Stability issues overshadow content delivery problems, suggesting users prioritize app performance over authentication and loading obstacles.
7,817 reviews · 54 apps analyzed · Analysis as of June 18, 2026
App freezes locks up crashes unexpectedly
Mentioned in 21% of complaints across the 54 apps we analyzed in news apps.
Every complaint, ranked by frequency
01App freezes locks up crashes unexpectedly
21%Found in 22 reviews.
“New app is terrible. Yet another release and major bugs still present. Still does not remember settings edits. After reading a certain number of articles on ipad mini, it starts chewing up CPU and won't stop until removed from memory. This is a bad joke of an app. You seriously…”
02Text size display formatting UI layout issues
21%Found in 22 reviews.
“iOS and iPadOS Apps - Settings are laid out in a non-intutive way which can make finding what you’re looking for difficult. - Inline menus just look weird which wouldn’t bother me as much if they actually worked. - You CANNOT use the option to use the iOS native sharesheet which…”
03Login authentication subscription recognition issues
16%Found in 17 reviews.
“I’ve had the app for sometime, but this takes the cake. It’s always been pretty mediocre. I have attempted to buy one of their subscription promotions twice. Both times to be charge full price even though they are really pushing this promo. The “tell us why” link won’t load. In…”
04Articles fail to load display or load incompletely
16%Found in 17 reviews.
“The latest version was pretty good until it REALLY wasn’t. In today’s edition I am stuck in the individual article mode. I was in that mode, reading an article in the sort of pop up window, when I had to step away from my iPad for several minutes. I returned to find that the app…”
05Excessive intrusive ads pop-ups blocking content
11%Found in 11 reviews.
“I read articles but when I connect to the links inside the article, Newsday ad pops up and tells me I have to subscribe and then doesn’t let me log in. I am already logged into the app when this happens. I called Newsday support- not helpful ; tried to report problem to…”
06Comment posting or liking functionality broken
9%Found in 9 reviews.
“Just started a week ago. Every time I close the app, when I reopen I can no longer post comments. But it doesn’t log me out completely. I have to go thru the process to relic in and I’m fine until the next time. Tried turn on/off my phone, deleted/reloaded the app. Never had an…”
07Frequent forced unnecessary app updates
6%Found in 6 reviews.
“<edit> After a recent update (late 2024), and considering layoffs, I suppose it makes sense the new app layout is appallingly bad and glitchy. Bye bye. Associated Press? Not so much. Assume problems is more like it. Won’t take responsibility for getting photographs labeled…”
Frequently asked
What do users complain about most in news apps?
The most common complaint is "App freezes locks up crashes unexpectedly" — 21% of analyzed complaints across 54 apps.
How many reviews did AppImp analyze for news apps?
7,817 real App Store reviews across 54 apps — frequency-ranked and counted, never estimated.
What are the top complaints in news apps?
1. App freezes locks up crashes unexpectedly (21%); 2. Text size display formatting UI layout issues (21%); 3. Login authentication subscription recognition issues (16%); 4. Articles fail to load display or load incompletely (16%); 5. Excessive intrusive ads pop-ups blocking content (11%).
This is the what. The Deep Report is the why.
Root causes behind each complaint, which competitor has already solved it, and whether the gap in news appsis still open — the part a model can’t reconstruct.
Run the full reportEvery figure above is counted from real, public App Store reviews — never estimated, never LLM-invented. 7,817 reviews across 54 news apps.