# Fig City News — Community News for Newton, MA > Local news, weather, events, and city services app for Newton, MA. (iPhone/iPad app by Fig City News, Inc.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fig-city-news/id6446803257 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Fig City News, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711376897) - Category: News, Food & Drink - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 6 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 6 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2023-04-05 - Data updated: 2026-08-26 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fig-city-news/id6446803257/reviews.md ## What is Fig City News? Fig City News brings local journalism, weather, events, and city services together in one app—designed for Newton residents who want to stay connected to their community. LOCAL NEWS Read Newton news from Fig City News, with headlines delivered fresh from our newsroom. Search articles, share stories, and check what's trending. Tap any article to read in our clean, native reader. LISTEN TO YOUR NEWS FEED Tap "Listen" from the main screen to turn your news feed into an audio playlist. Choose from 6 voice accents (American, British, Australian, Irish, Indian, South African) and 4 speech speeds. Navigate through articles using skip forward and back controls. Listen while driving with CarPlay integration, or control playback from the lock screen and Control Center. Perfect for multitasking or accessibility needs. MORNING BRIEFING Start your day at 7am with a notification that includes Newton's weather forecast, the top headline, and today's event count. Optional and easy to customize. SMART NOTIFICATIONS Choose exactly which updates you want: • Morning Briefing (7am daily) - weather, headlines, events • Weather Alerts (8pm daily) - rain/snow warnings • Government Meetings (Monday) - weekly city meetings preview • Newsletter Reminder (Wednesday) - weekly Fig City News roundup • Community Events (Thursday) - weekend events preview • Trending Articles (Friday) - most-read stories this week • Breaking News - new story alerts Turn any of them on or off anytime in Settings. NEWTON WEATHER Tap for Newton's forecast—current conditions, hourly and 7-day outlook, precipitation chances, sunrise/sunset. Powered by Open-Meteo. Clean, fast, no ads. COMMUNITY CALENDAR Browse city meetings, school events, and local happenings from Newton's community and government calendars. Filter by today, tomorrow, or this week. Tap "Remind Me" to get notified before events you don't want to miss. NEWTON RESTAURANTS Discover 160+ restaurants across Newton's 13 villages. Filter by neighborhood or cuisine, mark favorites, or tap "Spin" to let the app pick for you. Quickly access websites, ordering, and directions. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add Newton to your home screen with 5 widget types: • Latest Stories - breaking news headlines • Trending Articles - most popular this week • Community Events - upcoming local events • Government Meetings - city calendar • Newton Weather - current forecast Available in small and medium sizes. NEWTON 311 Report potholes, graffiti, or missed trash pickups directly to the City of Newton. SIRI SHORTCUTS "Hey Siri, play Fig City News" - Launch the app and start listening to articles with a voice command. DESIGNED FOR ACCESSIBILITY • Full text-to-speech support for all articles • Multiple voice accents and speeds • Background audio playback • CarPlay and lock screen controls • System dark mode support • Clean, readable layouts Free. No account required. No ads. Made in Newton, for Newton. ## Key features - Local news articles - Text-to-speech audio playback - Customizable smart notifications - Newton weather forecasts - Community event listings - Restaurant discovery - City service reporting ## Frequently asked questions about Fig City News ### Does Fig City News have ads? No, Fig City News is completely ad-free. The app is designed to provide a clean and uninterrupted user experience for all its features. ### What devices is Fig City News available on? Fig City News is available on iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to be accessible on Apple's mobile and tablet platforms. ### How often is Fig City News updated? The app was last updated on April 1, 2026, with version 1.32. Updates typically include new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements. ### Can I listen to news articles on Fig City News? Yes, you can listen to your news feed with text-to-speech functionality. You can choose from 6 voice accents and 4 speech speeds, with controls for playback. ### What kind of notifications can I receive from Fig City News? You can customize smart notifications for the Morning Briefing, weather alerts, government meetings, newsletters, community events, trending articles, and breaking news. ### Is Fig City News free to use? Yes, Fig City News is completely free to use. No account is required to access its features, and there are no in-app purchases. ### What is the age rating for Fig City News? Fig City News has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for a wide audience, including young children, with content generally considered safe and appropriate. ### How does Fig City News compare to other local news apps? Fig City News focuses specifically on Newton, MA, integrating local journalism, weather, events, and city services. Its unique features include text-to-speech audio, smart notifications, and direct city service reporting. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.42 — 2026-08-18 What's New in Fig City News A new home screen. The app now opens to Today — a dashboard of everything happening in Newton at a glance: the weather (with tomorrow's outlook), Top Stories, today's community events, upcoming government meetings, food picks, and quick links to support local news. Make it yours: reorder or hide any section with Edit Home in Settings. Podcasts tab. Listen to Fig City News audio — including a "Play Today's News" briefing — right in the app, with background playback. Food Search, rebuilt. The Food tab is back and smarter: • Open now — filter to restaurants that are open at this moment, with weekly hours and an "Open until…" status on every listing. • Local, local chain, or regional — filter by ownership, just like the map on figcitynews.com. • Food around me — a map of nearby restaurants, starting with the 25 closest. • The results count shows how many spots are open right now. • The spin wheel is still there when you can't decide. My Local Eats. Check off Newton's locally owned restaurants as you try them and share your tally as a graphic. Easier to get around. A new menu bar at the top of every tab puts Trending, Newton 311, Support, Tips, and Settings one tap away. The government calendar now opens on This Week, and Community Events shows the week ahead. Note: restaurant hours are regular weekly schedules ### 1.41 — 2026-08-18 What's New in Fig City News A new home screen. The app now opens to Today — a dashboard of everything happening in Newton at a glance: the weather (with tomorrow's outlook), Top Stories, today's community events, upcoming government meetings, food picks, and quick links to support local news. Make it yours: reorder or hide any section with Edit Home in Settings. Podcasts tab. Listen to Fig City News audio — including a "Play Today's News" briefing — right in the app, with background playback. Food Search, rebuilt. The Food tab is back and smarter: • Open now — filter to restaurants that are open at this moment, with weekly hours and an "Open until…" status on every listing. • Local, local chain, or regional — filter by ownership, just like the map on figcitynews.com. • Food around me — a map of nearby restaurants, starting with the 25 closest. • The results count shows how many spots are open right now. • The spin wheel is still there when you can't decide. My Local Eats. Check off Newton's locally owned restaurants as you try them and share your tally as a graphic. Easier to get around. A new menu bar at the top of every tab puts Trending, Newton 311, Support, Tips, and Settings one tap away. The government calendar now opens on This Week, and Community Events shows the week ahead. Note: restaurant hours are regular weekly schedules — holiday closures aren't reflected yet. ### 1.40 — 2026-08-16 Enhanced User Interface. ### 1.39 — 2026-08-15 App overhaul and restaurant updates. ### 1.37 — 2026-08-13 bug fixes ## Apps similar to Fig City News | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Patch - Everything Local](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patch-everything-local/id430049632) | 4.7 (26,067) | Free | News | | [GBH News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gbh-news/id434660601) | 4.5 (138) | Free | News | | [WCVB NewsCenter 5 - Boston](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wcvb-newscenter-5-boston/id501410335) | 4.6 (15,404) | Free | News | | [NBC10 Boston: News & Weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nbc10-boston-news-and-weather/id1176170313) | 4.5 (551) | Free | News | | [WBUR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wbur/id379690847) | 4.9 (4,020) | Free | News | | [The Boston Globe](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-boston-globe/id632761100) | 4.6 (41,715) | Free | News | --- *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 2026-08-26.*