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First Things

First Things

by THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE INC

362 ratings
38 reviews
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📚 Education
📡 News
Free
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Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • August 4, 2011
  • October 10, 2025

Developer

THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION & PUBLIC LIFE INC
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About

Access insightful articles and essays on religion, public life, and philosophy. Explore diverse perspectives on contemporary issues from a leading research institute. Stay informed with curated content designed to foster informed public discourse.

✓Articles on religion and public life
✓Essays on philosophy and society
✓Diverse perspectives
✓Informed public discourse
✓Interreligious and nonpartisan content
Show original description

What users say

Summarized from real user reviews of First Things. Based on 362 reviews and a 4.6/5 average, it highlights the 6 positives and 20 negatives reviewers mention most about this Education app.

Positive things

  • 👍Excellent content and writing
  • 👍Superb publication
  • 👍Thought-provoking articles
  • 👍Coherently intellectual analysis
  • 👍Premiere journal of religion and public life
  • 👍Great magazine

Negative things

  • 🐛Requires separate subscription for app
  • 🐛Login methods not working
  • 🐛App not updating editions
  • 🐛App is like a PDF reader, no interaction
  • 🐛App difficult to navigate
  • 🐛Preview pane interferes with reading
  • 🐛Cuts off bottom of page, black bar on top
  • 🐛Cannot minimize horizontal scrolling
  • 🐛Cannot log in with subscription
  • 🐛Unfriendly app interface
  • 🐛Terrible update, nonfunctional
  • 🐛Latest version useless, lost saved items
  • 🐛Unusable after recent update
  • 🐛Unreadable on iPhone, text size issues
  • 🐛Not optimized for small screens
  • 🐛Poorly designed app, hides content
  • 🐛Customer service unhelpful
  • 🐛App crashes on startup
  • 🐛Zoom gets stuck, app freezes
  • 🐛New sash remains after reading
See all reviews

What's New in First Things

23.0

October 10, 2025

This release includes bug fixes and general stability improvements.

Subscription plans

First Things

subscription

$24.991 Year
How to cancel First Things subscription ⁉️
31

In-App Purchases

$0.99

June/July 2011

First Things is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society.

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User reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

Non readable

Print edition microscopic on the phone. Unreadable. Great publication but useless app.
Jasoneg3Jasoneg3

Not the same as a digital subscription

I thought that getting a subscription through the app would be the same as getting a digital subscription through the website, but the two subscription types are separate.

This is not clearly stated anywhere.

I mainly wanted the digital subscription for the archive access, but the app archive access is very poor - no index or way to search.
Show more
Pilgrim1955Pilgrim1955

Lame

This is not included in the cost of FT annual subscription. Don’t waste your time downloading it unless you want to pay for it twice.
NightSnoozerNightSnoozer

Requires a separate subscription

Requires a separate subscription. I have a print and web subscription but I need a separate one for the app???
Nickname taken 379854256Nickname taken 379854256

Please fix login methods!

I love First Things as a publication, but this app stinks. It doesn’t even give me the option to sign in to my digital subscription with my username and password! Please fix this as I’d love to use the app to access this content!
naper84naper84
See 33 more reviews

User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

19 issues

Login methods not working

Bug

App not updating editions

Bug

Preview pane interferes with reading

Bug

Cuts off bottom of page, black bar on top

Bug

Cannot minimize horizontal scrolling

Bug

Cannot log in with subscription

Bug

App is nonfunctional after update

Bug

Lost all saved items after update

Bug

App is unusable after update

Bug

Unreadable on iPhone, text size issues

Bug

Not optimized for small screens

Bug

App hides content

Bug

App crashes on startup

Bug

Zoom gets stuck, app freezes

Bug

App freezes when using zoom

Bug

New sash remains after reading

Bug

Swiping pages in landscape mode causes freezing

Bug

App crashes when opening in Newsstand

Bug

App freezes when using zoom

Bug
✨

Requested Features

19 requests

Allow login with digital subscription username/password

Feature

Fix login methods

Feature

Make table of contents hyperlinked

Feature

Include a Contents menu to see articles before buying

Feature

Fix preview pane issue

Feature

Allow saving and bookmarking articles

Feature

Improve app navigation

Feature

Allow interaction with text

Feature

Fix app to utilize full screen of newer iPhones

Feature

Make text readable size on iPhone

Feature

Optimize for small screens

Feature

Improve app interface

Feature

Fix zoom issues

Feature

Fix app freezing

Feature

Fix 'new' sash issue

Feature

Allow access to digital subscription on iPad

Feature

Make app professional with links in table of contents/menu

Feature

Allow offline reading of purchased editions

Feature

Fix app to display library of issues

Feature

FAQ

What is First Things about?

First Things provides journalism and commentary on religion, public life, and culture. It is published by The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an organization dedicated to advancing a religiously informed public philosophy for society.

What are the subscription options?

The app offers monthly subscriptions for USD 2.99 and annual subscriptions for USD 24.99. For non-US app stores, equivalent currency charges will apply. Please note that app subscriptions do not grant access to subscription-only content on their website.

How does the subscription renewal work?

Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and the cost of renewal will be identified.

Can I cancel my subscription?

Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal can be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. However, cancellation of the current subscription is not allowed during the active subscription period.

What kind of content can I expect?

You can expect insightful articles and essays covering religion, public life, and philosophy. The content aims to explore diverse perspectives on contemporary issues and foster informed public discourse.