# Billings Gazette — user reviews > 68 indexed App Store user reviews of Billings Gazette by Lee Enterprises, rated 2.80/5 from 187 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/billings-gazette/id367893195/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/billings-gazette/id367893195.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 53 · 4★ 23 · 3★ 19 · 2★ 11 · 1★ 81 ## What do users think of Billings Gazette? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Good news coverage - 👍 Easy to stay on top of news - 👍 Fast and updated frequently - 👍 Fine news app with alerts **Cons** - 👎 Inconsistent layout - 👎 Duplication of content - 👎 Delayed sports scores - 👎 App freezes/doesn't load - 👎 Repeats pages - 👎 Focus on advertising - 👎 Subscription required for articles - 👎 Unorganized mess after update - 👎 Pop-ups block reading - 👎 App constantly logs out - 👎 Ads are intrusive - 👎 Biased reporting - 👎 Poorly designed app - 👎 Difficult to navigate - 👎 No landscape view on iPad - 👎 App crashes - 👎 Redirects to App Store - 👎 Content not accessible - 👎 Expensive subscription **Commonly reported bugs** - App freezes up sometimes - App does not load at all - App doesn't reload for the next day - App keeps jumping back to full page view on iPad - App asks to subscribe even when logged in - App constantly requires re-login - App doesn't remain signed in - App logs out after closing - App consistently logged out and asked to purchase subscription - App redirects to App Store without user interaction - App crashes every time it's opened - App window lasts only seconds before returning to home screen - App won't open since last update - App doesn't accommodate horizontal view on iPad - App only in portrait mode on iOS devices - App not iPad friendly, no landscape view **Most requested features** - Improve app layout and organization - Fix duplication of content - Ensure timely sports scores - Improve app stability and loading - Allow access to all content for subscribers - Make app iPad friendly (landscape view) - Improve user interface and experience - Provide better customer support - Reduce or eliminate ads - Make subscription more affordable - Include local crime and city sections - Allow users to navigate to specific sections easily - Put crossword and classifieds on same page - Improve spelling and grammar in articles ## Newest reviews (14 of 68) ### 1/5 — Inaccessible *2022-03-23, version 8.13.3* Your site restricts almost all access. ### 1/5 — App doesn’t remain signed in *2022-03-12, version 8.13.3* As a paid subscriber, I am very disappointed in this app. I have to sign in multiple times during one viewing session. I have emailed their tech support and had no response. I also had hoped the ads would go away once I subscribed but they are still there. Some work needs to be done on this app. ### 1/5 — Constantly logs me out *2022-02-19, version 8.13.3* I subscribe to the online version of the gazette. Recently the app started logging me out after closing. It has progressed to where I am consistently logged out and asked to purchase the gazette subscription. Sometimes even when I am fully authenticated and successfully logged in I cannot read articles and the “you must subscribe” screen pops up. ### 1/5 — $312/year *2022-01-17, version 8.13.3* $312 a year for a few local articles and ~70% shared articles between the Independent and Missoulian?!? I thought I’d given enough accidental ad clicks through the years due to the clunky user interface, guessed wrong. ### 1/5 — Will uninstall now *2022-01-16, version 8.13.3* 25.99 a month for you to report on Wyoming more than local. And nothing but covid reports. You are out of your mind. Don’t waste your time for this not worth it. Was barley worth the space on my phone when it was free. ### 1/5 — 25.99 *2022-01-09, version 8.13.3* Used too be free now charging 25.99 per month. Give me a break there isn’t any app worth 25.99 a month. ### 1/5 — Subscription? *2022-01-05, version 8.13.3* It use to let you read articles whenever. Now, it is a $25.99 per month subscription. I understand trying to make money in this digital world but the Billings gazette is no major news company. Save the download ### 1/5 — Gazette app *2022-01-04, version 8.13.3* Forget It!!!!!……Now charging a fee to see articles on app .. deleting and going to Q2 and Color8 apps…no charges .. pretty much same headline news ### 1/5 — Likely the worst *2021-10-22, version 8.11* This app is likely the worst designed app on the App Store, when it comes to user experience. But Lee enterprises is more concerned with advertising, and that’s fine. But the story can’t be read because it jumps all over the place to accommodate ads. Makes me want to throw my phone. ### 1/5 — Do Not Use This App *2021-09-21, version 8.11* This app is absolutely the worst you could ever install or try to use. Forget about talking to someone actually affiliated with the Billings Gazette. Sign in on your browser and save yourself the head ache of talking to someone from another country ### 1/5 — Trash *2021-06-09, version 8.11* - Paywalls - never loads - trash news Alvin Ellis Jr. takes it until wind flows through. ### 1/5 — Awful *2021-03-30, version 8.10* Except I read the local news. Otherwise the app doesn’t perform. Reloads stories and flickers. Text doesn’t follow accessibility settings. ### 1/5 — Rookies *2020-12-28, version 8.7* A very one sided newspaper. But then again it is the media. Just sad to see in Montana. ### 1/5 — Only presents vertically on iPad. *2020-02-11, version 6.0* I always use my 6th generation iPad horizontally but app does not accommodate that view, making it kind of useless. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Bad, very very bad *2025-02-15, version 9.15.1* It is good at showing you advertising but terrible at showing you the news. ### 1/5 — Trash *2023-03-30, version 9.3.2* Junk news ### 1/5 — Used to be OK. Now unusable *2023-01-30, version 9.1.3* I am a subscriber and pay for this but the app (and website) are junk. If I click on a story, it asks me to subscribe. I am a subscriber. No way to work around it and just log in. Even if I go and log in, still cannot read the story. Unfortunately no rating less than one star. ### 1/5 — Use to be good.. what happened *2023-01-15, version 9.1.3* The new update to this app is horrible! Unorganized mess. Don’t bother. ### 1/5 — Unreadable News App *2022-08-24, version 8.13.6* You download the app to see the news. You go to an article and a pop up blocks you from reading it unless you subscribe. So another way to say how bad it’s become is everyone who buy’s an add through Billings Gazetee get to only subscribers. You get more by using KULR-8 or Q2 who doesn’t block people. This is an app not the newspaper! Uninstalled Forever! ### 1/5 — Get the app working or refund your subscribers *2022-08-02, version 8.13.6* Have an online subscription but every time I click on a story a I get a subscription message. Mind you I’m logged in but it won’t restore purposes so I need to log out and back in. An app that is slow in delivery news, should at least work. ### 1/5 — Ap is a joke *2022-07-26, version 8.13.6* It used to be that this ap was somewhat usable. The last couple of stories I’ve tried to view have been bared by pop up’s telling me I have to subscribe in order to view them. When I hit the close button at the top of the subscription window it bumps me back to the home page which in turn bumps me back to the story and the annoying subscription window. There doesn’t seem to be a way to stop this other than exiting and quitting the ap. Seriously considering deleting the ap. What’s the point of getting an alert about a story when you can’t view it? ### 1/5 — Horrible app *2022-06-27, version 8.13.6* If I could rate this lower than one star I would! The app constantly requires you to “log back in” to keep reading. It’s clunky and elementary. Just spend a few dollars and make it user friendly! ### 1/5 — Junk *2022-06-15, version 8.13.6* Can’t view anything on the app without paying a ridiculous monthly subscription. Can’t even be informed about what’s going on in your state without paying for it anymore apparently. ### 1/5 — Horrible app and zero customer service *2022-03-31, version 8.13.6* I want to support the Gazette as a local paper but they are making it incredibly difficult to justify paying for an online subscription. The multitude of ways this app fails are too numerous to count. I can access my account on my iPad, everything else is a no go. I’m kicked out, logged out, asked to log in when I already am and then told I need to subscribe. It’s beyond ridiculous and the only response I got from their tech support was ‘it’s a work in progress.’ But they have no problem billing me monthly. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Loyal gazette reader *2026-03-23, version 9.19.3* Awesome news coverage, global, national and local. ### 5/5 — I love it *2014-12-08, version 1.10.3* I love it it tells me all the things I need to know keep it up guys ### 5/5 — Great app *2013-01-08, version 1.6.15* Love the easy way to stay on top of the news! ### 5/5 — Fine news app with alerts *2012-10-16, version 1.6.13* I am not having the issues described below. Must have been fixed. The news alerts are great. They also have the Target ad! ### 5/5 — Good app *2011-10-10, version 1.6.2.1* Works just fine... I haven't had any problems with it. It's fast and updated frequently. ### 4/5 — App *2025-04-23, version 9.16.1* App freezes up sometimes does not load at all and sometimes doesn’t reload for the next day we had to reload the app to get it to work ### 3/5 — E Subscription *2026-01-31, version 9.19.3* Very inconsistent layout. Lot’s of duplication. Sports scores and results are often delayed at least a day. ### 3/5 — E Edition *2025-03-20, version 9.15.1* The e-edition is a mess. On my iPad it keeps jumping back to full page view. It repeats the comics and other pages at least two times in each edition. Proof reading before publication would be a plus. ### 3/5 — Gazette *2024-09-12, version 9.13.2* How much does the paper cost??? ### 2/5 — Crossword puzzle *2019-11-18, version 5.7* Please put the puzzle and the classified bonus on the same sheet. Do not mix in with sport pages. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-18.*