# Honolulu Star-Advertiser — user reviews > 166 indexed App Store user reviews of Honolulu Star by The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, rated 4.50/5 from 1,517 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/honolulu-star-advertiser/id557767262/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/honolulu-star-advertiser/id557767262.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,079 · 4★ 283 · 3★ 60 · 2★ 22 · 1★ 73 ## What do users think of Honolulu Star? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Easy to keep up with news - 🔍 Reliable, balanced news source - 📰 Print replica available - 🗓️ Up-to-date news and information - 📱 Convenient mobile access **Cons** - 🔍 Limited news coverage - 💰 Paywall/subscription issues - 🔍 Biased/partisan news coverage - 🔍 Outdated news articles - 🔍 Too many ads **Commonly reported bugs** - Frequent crashes and freezes - Login/account issues - Unreliable content updates - Compatibility problems with older devices **Most requested features** - Dark mode option - Improved offline reading capabilities - Better sharing/clipping features - Customizable notification settings - Improved navigation and user experience ## Newest reviews (18 of 166) ### 4/5 — Like it a lot! *2026-07-19, version 3.32.05* Any time I can sit in my recliner with a cup of coffee and read the paper on line, makes for a great morning. I have gotten used to reading on line and only read Sunday’s edition in print. I find it easy to read, move about the different sections, and zoom in when necessary due to aging eyesight. My finger tips stay clean and ink free! Reading is more enjoyable this way. I love it! ### 2/5 — Politically Biased Reporting *2026-07-11, version 3.32.05* I respect and appreciate balanced & fair reporting on all events, social, financial, and political issues; however, the reporting & editing crew is obviously slanted Blue. As such, management should seriously ponder if it is a barrier to increasing daily subscribers. I don’t want politically driven newspapers editing world events, I can do that on my own. ### 4/5 — Good summary of the news *2026-05-14, version 3.32.05* Look forward to it every day. ### 3/5 — News At your fingertips *2026-03-24, version 3.19.21* Nice to have local news so available wish more articles were available and no only by subscription ### 5/5 — Get to be in touch with the 808 while on travel *2026-03-21, version 3.19.21* 5 stars ### 5/5 — Good App *2026-01-29, version 3.19.15* Nice format and especially appreciate the amount of publicly accessible content. It is the place to go for local news and sports. ### 5/5 — Good way to keep up with News from Oahu *2025-12-18, version 3.18.27* The Star-Advertiser makes it easy to keep up with events and get the detailed coverage and explanations that only a newspaper can provide in this app. The breaking news of presented to you on the opening screen. If you want to look at today’s paper, an electronic “print replica” is available for reading. I gladly pay my monthly subscription to have access to this source of information about what is happening at the State Legislature and on the most populous island in the State. ### 5/5 — Honolulu Star-Advertiser App *2025-12-06, version 3.18.27* I found this app very helpful in keeping up with current affairs and news. Also, the newspaper replica is available. ### 5/5 — Good app *2025-11-24, version 3.18.27* Happy with subscription ### 5/5 — Part of my everyday life *2025-11-11, version 3.18.27* Very useful and feel Hawaii through reading Star Advertiser! ### 5/5 — Early News Reporting *2025-11-09, version 3.18.27* I read the Honolulu Star Advertiser to keep abreast of HI happenings for my Island Ohana. I’m impressed that, with the time zone difference, I get late/early-breaking news before it makes my local newspaper and the NYT 😇 ### 5/5 — I can’t live without my Honolulu Star Advertiser *2025-11-06, version 3.18.27* I am a news junkie and can’t live without my Star Advertiser. The stories are exactly what I need. ### 4/5 — Easy to use. *2025-10-30, version 3.18.27* Keeps me updated on breaking news with push notification. ### 5/5 — Reliable, balanced news source *2025-09-06, version 3.18.05* I count on and look forward to reading the Star-Advertiser every day. It’s where I go to get inspiration for all my best ideas, especially the Local section for news and profiles on people, businesses, and non-profits doing important work in our community. Can’t live without it! ### 3/5 — Good Hawaii Articles *2025-08-31, version 3.18.05* The selected articles are informative and a good read. Too many articles are anti-Trump and Republican Party. More objective articles would be appreciated. ### 4/5 — Excellent app for me. News updated all day. Mahalo *2025-08-04, version 3.18.05* Mahalo from Nuuanu Valley. ### 5/5 — Slow *2025-07-31, version 3.18.05* Poor uploading...many times cannot get news...weekends don't get updated. ### 5/5 — 3rd World News Company *2025-07-29, version 3.18.05* Days old news take most of app site. Current news also old but sometimes updated later in the day ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — It’s 2026 and still a Horrible UI *2026-03-29, version 3.32.05* One of the worst apps for news I have ever used. Even though I pay hundreds of dollars a year for a subscription the app always opens with a full screen ad that can be challenging for folks to dismiss it, in this case a tiny X. It makes it impossible for my elderly mom to use the app. The full screen ads also pop-up during use. Let paid subscribers avoid these full screen ads. ### 1/5 — Fake 5-Star Reviews *2025-10-26, version 3.18.27* I really wish this App was better because I would love to see this newspaper succeed. But if we are going to be honest with ourselves, this app is really terrible. Most news articles are at least a day old and the only news that is reported are for people living in a left leaning bubble. The only thing I can attribute this having such a high app rating is a ton of fake 5-Star reviews. ### 1/5 — Yesterdays News *2025-06-08, version 3.18.05* This App is for you if you like to read cherry picked left leaning articles that are a few days old, with lots of in app ads. ### 1/5 — Horrible UI *2025-06-01, version 3.18.05* One of the worst apps for news I have ever used. Even though I pay hundreds of dollars a year for a subscription the app always opens with a full screen ad that can be vexing for folks who aren’t used to searching how to dismiss it, in this case a tiny X. It makes it impossible for my elderly mom to use the app. The full screen ads also pop-up during use. ### 1/5 — Horrible app ruined by ad placement *2025-01-01, version 3.13.03* I understand they need to sell ads to survive but to always have a full-screen ad when starting the app (I have a paid subscription) is absolutely repellant and I will boycott any business on it. I'd like my elderly mom to use the app but that ad is an absolute show-stopper for folks who are not used to technology. I'd rate the app zero stars because of it if Icould. ### 1/5 — Ads keep popping up when reading the obituaries! *2023-10-23, version 3.9.05* Ads keep popping up when reading the obituaries! Ao I close it by clicking the small “x” at the top and the ads pop up again and and again! How can I read obituaries when it keeps on doing that? ### 1/5 — App problems *2021-03-29, version 3.2.53* For the past few days the app glitches and looks like it’s switching screens or taking a screen shot every few seconds. Stories don’t load when selected. Not great for reading the news. Hope there is an update to fix this. Not sure if this is a problem with new iOS don’t see others having the same problem. Using an iPhone 10. ### 1/5 — Absolute Piece of Junk App *2020-08-23, version 2.9.61* This App is an absolute piece of junk. I don’t understand why a newspaper would embarrass themselves with a crappy app unless the newspaper simply does not care about their digital presence. This app is constantly refreshing so you might be in the middle of reading an article and the app will refresh and take you away from the article you are reading and send you to the main page so you have to start all over again. ### 1/5 — Not Very Useful *2020-08-03, version 2.9.61* I have been a print subscriber for over thirty years through a couple of mergers and accessed the digital edition since it became available. The print edition is okay given the state of the industry but the digital edition seems a second thought as most stories are hours old and updates are well after other news outlets have posted the information. Also the Question/Poll of the day no longer works as the link is bad. I noticed that the number of people responding has dropped by several hundred each day so other readers have had the same problem I ran into. Since my original post the digital edition has gotten worse as the non-print Saturday digital edition is difficult to navigate, riddled with typos, and a challenge to read comfortably. This Saturday I was unable to access the e-edition as I was told I am not a subscriber (I am) and today was told I cannot answer the daily poll question. The print edition gets thinner by the week and the newspaper’s app is doing poorly on the technological front. I have gone to other online sources for local news and don’t see a bright future for the print edition. Sad times. ### 1/5 — Crazy amount of pop up Ads! *2019-10-20, version 2.9.61* Seems like this app has more pop up ads every week. You can’t view another story unless you endure a pop up ad and a sponsor ad. Can’t open another app while reading a story unless you want this app to reset and go back to the home page with the sponsor ads. Obviously focusing all their energy on making profit rather than informing the public with important news. I will only use for breaking news alerts but I never open this App to read stories anymore. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Local and state news *2026-08-18, version 3.32.05* I currently live in CA, but I was born and raised in Hawaii. So I like reading about what’s currently going on in Hawaii. ### 5/5 — Continual ad tracking *2026-07-25, version 3.32.05* Continous ad tracker icon present even if you click on it and choose to opt out. ### 5/5 — Online only subscription *2026-07-22, version 3.32.05* A green way to keep up with local news. A nice change. ### 5/5 — Thomas HAPPY *2026-07-17, version 3.32.05* Wonderful civic service and public trust ### 5/5 — Love the pop-up! *2026-07-15, version 3.32.05* The only local paper I look up to. ### 5/5 — Easy to use *2026-06-27, version 3.32.05* My go to app every morning to get the latest local, national and world news. Easy access to subscription newspaper, and The Big Q. Get it! ### 5/5 — Slow *2026-06-20, version 3.32.05* The only local paper I look up to. ### 5/5 — Good job *2026-05-06, version 3.32.05* Mahalo for keeping me updated with the latest🫡 ### 5/5 — Love it! *2026-04-28, version 3.32.05* I’m happy to be able to keep up with the news back in Honolulu, Hawaii as I’ve left and moved here to Vegas, 6 years ago. Thank you. ### 5/5 — A good news app *2026-03-23, version 3.19.21* The Honolulu Star-Advertiser app actually displays the paper page-by-page which makes using it like … reading the paper! Compared to other papers, eg. NYT, which are just jumbles of articles. Well done. --- *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 2026-08-27.*