# DW - Breaking World News

> Global news and analysis app with no ads or pop-ups. (iPhone/iPad app by Deutsche Welle.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dw-breaking-world-news/id498833085 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Deutsche Welle](https://appshunter.io/developer/305630107)
- Category: News, Entertainment
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.70/5 from 287 App Store ratings · 239 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 17.6 · 29 MB
- Languages: Greek, German (Germany), Russian, Romanian, Macedonian, Bangla, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Serbian, European Spanish and 16 more
- Released: 2012-02-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dw-breaking-world-news/id498833085/reviews.md

## What is DW?

New design, new navigation options, unlimited content, no ads, and no pop-ups. Receive independent news and analysis of the most important events from around the world on your smartphone, tablet, or Apple Watch — without ads and without pop-ups.

The free DW App keeps you up to date on the most important news of the day and offers analysis on politics, business, science, culture, and travel.
- Modern design
- No pop-ups
- Push Notifications for Breaking News
- Available in 32 languages

DW is Germany's international broadcaster and a reliable source of news and information. The DW App makes accessing international news easier still, by offering articles, audio, and video directly on your cellphone or tablet. DW's team of journalists is active in news rooms around Europe and the world.

## Key features

- Independent global news
- Ad-free experience
- Push notifications for breaking news
- Content in 32 languages
- Articles, audio, and video

## What do users think of DW?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 📺 Good news coverage and programming
- 🌍 Trusted source for international news
- 🔍 Comprehensive reporting on global events

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📱 Poor user experience and navigation
- 🔍 Biased and one-sided reporting
- 🔍 Lacking objectivity and balance in news coverage

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Notifications not opening the correct article
- Live TV and video playback issues
- Frequent login/logout problems
- Outdated news content displayed

**Most requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Adjustable font size
- Improved Chromecast/AirPlay support
- Better organization and categorization of content

## Recent user reviews (10 of 239)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dw-breaking-world-news/id498833085/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Like many news apps:  does not look at settings

*2026-07-17*

What can I say, it displays the news.  But, if say you’re older and need a larger font size which you’ve set in your devices settings … well it doesn’t do anything with that setting.

It, like many Web sites will allow you to zoom in and out.  The problem with that is while the text gets bigger/smaller, the flow of the text does not change to conform to your devices width.  The end result is for larger text is you are constantly scrolling the page left and right.  From a usability point-of-view this is really bad.

**Developer response:** Please send us an email to info@dw.com with all technical details: which device you are using and which version you have installed. Our technicians will take care of the problem. Thank you.

### 1/5 — 🚫 CRITICAL BUG: "Top Stories in 90 Seconds" Does Not Play 🚫

*2026-07-13*

The "Top Stories in 90 Seconds" video module on the English feed is completely broken globally. Attempting to play the asset throws a native Apple AVKit prohibited/slashed-circle icon (🚫). 

Core Issue and Visual Indicator
Symptom: Initiating video playback fails immediately. The player UI displays a solid red slashed-circle prohibited icon 🚫.

Technical Meaning:  Apple's native media layer on tvOS and iOS (AVKit / AVFoundation) recognizes the server-side streaming path container, but rejects it because the underlying target asset is physically missing, corrupted, or returning a malformed master playlist (.m3u8).

Scope and Infrastructure Tested
Location: United States and multiple global VPN endpoints

Target Feed: English Language Edition ("Top Stories in 90 Seconds").
Cross-Platform Failure: Reproducible simultaneously on the latest versions of iOS 18 (iPhone) and tvOS (Apple TV).
Network Isolation: Tested across standard US residential ISPs, cellular data networks, and multiple global VPN endpoints. 
Local Variables Eliminated: Full device reboots, application offloading, and complete app deletions/reinstalls fail to resolve the error. 

Engineering Takeaway
Because the issue persists across entirely isolated networks, distinct hardware architectures, and global routing endpoints, this is NOT a local client cache issue. The automated publishing pipeline or CDN encoding script for the English "Top Stories in 90 Seconds" asset is broken at the source. Please escalate this directly to the mobile development / backend video streaming engineering team.

**Developer response:** Please send us an email to info@dw.com with all technical details: which device you are using and which version you have installed. Our technicians will take care of the problem. Thank you.

### 3/5 — “Can’t load content”

*2026-06-10*

I like to read DW every day, just to get a different view (i.e. not U.K. or U.S.) on world events. But increasingly often I get a blank page and a message that the “content can’t be loaded”.  Why?

**Developer response:** Please send us an email to info@dw.com with all technical details: which device you are using and which version you have installed. Our technicians will take care of the problem. Thank you.

### 1/5 — Avoid

*2026-04-19*

Doesn’t actually work don’t waste your money

**Developer response:** Thank you for your message. If deleting and reinstalling the app does not help the problem, please write to info@dw.com so that we can further assist you.

### 4/5 — getting better

*2026-03-19*

still some issues/awkward design but over the months i’ve had it it’s been consistently improving

### 1/5 — Israeli propaganda

*2026-03-13*

Now an Israeli propaganda platform and used only to amplify government policy, not real journalism.

**Developer response:** As an international broadcaster, it is our mission to provide objective, balanced, and fact-based journalism. If you have a fact-based reason for a complaint, you may submit an official objection to info@dw.com, including the title of the relevant report, the specific passages you wish to challenge, and any corresponding counter-evidence.

### 1/5 — DW

*2026-01-06, version 3.6.7*

Was ist los mit dem App von DW? Ich habe es immer sehr gern gehabt und möchte es behalten  und es funktionierte sehr gut. Aber auf einmal gibt es Störungen, wenn ich eines der Videos sehen möchte. Es ist dauernd unterbrochen und ich habe eine schwarze Fläche und kein Video. Ich habe es gelöscht und neu aufgeladen, aber die Unterbrechungen kommen wieder. Und es dreht sich im Kreis im Kreis und im Kreis zum Wiederaufkaden und nichts kommt dabei heraus. 
Was macht ihr bloß mit dem ansonsten richtig gutem App? Bitte repariert das bald ganz fix und sehr schnell. Ihr seid meine Nachrichten und Informationsquelle für Themen die mich wirklich interessieren. Ich will auch alle Videos sehen, die ihr im App habt. Denn das DW in den USA habt ihr uns ja weggenommen. Liebe DW, bitte behebt im App, was fehlerhaft ist. Gutes Neues Jahr  2026 für euch in Berlin wünsche ich euch.

### 2/5 — Sudden reloads / breaks reading

*2025-10-28*

It’s virtually impossible to read a longer story because the app reloads itself in the middle of the reading and takes me back to the front page. I like the content and interface but this issue makes it barely usable

**Developer response:** If deleting and reinstalling the app does not help the problem, please send a message to info@dw.com so that we can further assist you. Thank you!

### 1/5 — Не работает

*2025-10-10*

Не работает

**Developer response:** Thank you for your comment. If you are in Russia, please take into consideration that the government blocks our content, so it is necessary to use some censorship bypass measure such as VPN.

### 1/5 — German language app now useless

*2025-08-05*

I really enjoy the DW German language class (Nicos Weg) but (a) I am logged out every time and (b) if I attempt a course, I get an error message “status feedback” something went wrong please try again later.  Not very motivating and very frustrating. Please could you fix

**Developer response:** Thank you for your message. Please write to info@dw.com so that we can further assist you.

## Frequently asked questions about DW

### What kind of news does this app provide?

This app provides independent news and analysis on the most important events happening around the world. It covers a wide range of topics including politics, business, science, culture, and travel.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the app is completely free to download and use. It offers unlimited content without any advertisements or pop-up interruptions.

### What devices is this app compatible with?

The app is designed to be accessible on your smartphone, tablet, and even Apple Watch, ensuring you can get your news on multiple devices.

### Can I get breaking news alerts?

Yes, the app offers push notifications for breaking news, ensuring you are always up-to-date with the latest developments as they happen.

### What languages are available?

The app is available in an extensive 32 languages, making global news accessible to a wide international audience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.6.12 — 2026-05-18

The DW app is now even better. This update includes some small improvements while getting rid of some bugs. We are constantly working to improve the DW app and your user experience. So, if you have questions, suggestions or ideas for new features, just send an e-mail to apps@dw.com.

### 3.6.11 — 2026-05-05

The DW app is now even better. This update includes some small improvements while getting rid of some bugs. We are constantly working to improve the DW app and your user experience. So, if you have questions, suggestions or ideas for new features, just send an e-mail to apps@dw.com.

### 3.6.10 — 2026-01-21

The DW app is now even better. This update includes some small improvements while getting rid of some bugs. We are constantly working to improve the DW app and your user experience. So, if you have questions, suggestions or ideas for new features, just send an e-mail to apps@dw.com.

### 3.6.9 — 2025-08-07

The DW app is now even better. This update includes some small improvements while getting rid of some bugs. We are constantly working to improve the DW app and your user experience. So, if you have questions, suggestions or ideas for new features, just send an e-mail to apps@dw.com.

### 3.6.8 — 2025-07-08

* Bug fixes

## Apps similar to DW

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [BBC: World News & Stories](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-world-news-and-stories/id364147881) | 4.5 (85,924) | Free | News |
| [CNN: Live & Breaking News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cnn-live-and-breaking-news/id331786748) | 4.8 (1,664,114) | Free | News |
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| [NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsbreak-local-news-and-alerts/id1132762804) | 4.8 (1,379,475) | Free | News |
| [CBC News: Breaking & Local](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbc-news-breaking-and-local/id417988800) | 4.6 (2,187) | Free | News |
| [The Guardian - US & World News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-guardian-us-and-world-news/id409128287) | 4.9 (113,064) | Free | News |

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All apps by Deutsche Welle: https://appshunter.io/developer/305630107

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*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 2026-08-25.*