# Hourly News — A One-Tap Hourly News App > Automatic hourly news podcast player with custom feed support. (iPhone/iPad app by Urban Apps.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-news/id493859859 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Urban Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/285538315) - Category: News, Education - Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $0.99) - Rating: 4.40/5 from 510 App Store ratings · 245 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 27 MB - Languages: American English, European Spanish, Italian, Korean, German (Germany), European Portuguese, Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Chinese (Simplified, China), French (France), Japanese - Released: 2012-01-21 - Data updated: 2026-08-27 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-news/id493859859/reviews.md ## What is Hourly News? Hear the latest news the moment you open the app. No scrolling, no searching, no fuss — Hourly News finds the most recent audio news updates from the world's most trusted sources and plays them automatically, one after another. Completely rebuilt for version 2.0, Hourly News is the fastest way to catch up — on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and in the car. SOURCES —————————————————— Listen to the latest hourly updates from NPR, BBC, CBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, VOA, DW, Marketplace, The New York Times, FOX, and more. Want something else in the mix? Add any podcast as a custom source. FEATURES —————————————————— • Opens and plays — the newest updates start automatically • Plays your sources in your order, advancing to the next feed on its own • Skips updates you've already heard • Downloads upcoming updates ahead of time for instant, reliable playback — even on weak connections • Adjustable playback speed • Reorder, enable, and disable sources • Add your own custom podcast feeds • Syncs your sources, settings, and listening history over iCloud • Plays in the background with full Now Playing and remote control support • Dead simple, easy to use. Works every time. EVERYWHERE YOU LISTEN —————————————————— • Apple Watch — a full player on your wrist: control your iPhone, or play directly from the watch, even when your phone isn't around • Widgets — play, pause, and skip right from the Home Screen and Lock Screen • CarPlay — the latest news, on the road • Siri — just ask Siri to play the news • Mac — Hourly News lives in your menu bar, one click away HOURLY NEWS PREMIUM —————————————————— Try everything free for 14 days. Afterward, Hourly News Premium is a monthly or yearly subscription that renews automatically until cancelled, managed through your App Store account. Terms of Use: https://hourlynewsapp.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://hourlynewsapp.com/legal/privacy NO ADS —————————————————— Hourly News inserts no ads of its own. Some sources include ads in their streams; unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to remove those. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUPPORT? —————————————————— We are dedicated to bringing you the best support! Visit https://hourlynewsapp.com or email support@urbanapps.com. If there is another national or worldwide source you would like to see added, please contact support. At this time, only sources broadcast in English with a public audio feed can be added. LEGAL —————————————————— Hourly News® is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any of the included sources. All rights are reserved by the respective owners. Hourly News is a podcast app, giving you access to free, publicly available news podcasts. These feeds are for personal use only and are subject to the terms and conditions provided by the news network publishing the feed. ## Key features - Plays most recent news summaries - Automatically plays when opened - Plays in background - Add custom podcast sources - Reorder, enable/disable news feeds - Sync settings via iCloud ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Hourly News Monthly | $4.99 | per month | | Hourly News Premium | $44.99 | per year | | Monthly (Launch Offer) | $4.99 | per month | | Yearly (Launch Offer) | $44.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Add Custom Sources | $0.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Hourly News? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - ⭐ Dependable and reliable - 🌍 Provides diverse news perspectives - 🕰️ Convenient hourly news updates - 🎧 Easy to use while multitasking - 📚 Helpful for staying informed **Cons** - 🐛 Crashes or stops working - 🔊 Volume issues with certain sources - 🔒 Lack of customization options - 💰 Paid features that were previously free - 🕰️ Spontaneous playback at inconvenient times **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes on launch or during use - Issues with specific news sources (DW News, BBC, etc.) - Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions - Playback not working when phone is locked **Most requested features** - Add more news sources, especially international - Improve playback controls (skip forward/back, scrubbing) - Implement background playback and lock screen controls - Provide push notifications for news updates - Sync custom sources across devices ## Recent user reviews (10 of 245) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourly-news/id493859859/reviews.md ### 1/5 — 🚨 WARNING: Version 2 DISABLES all but 2 news sources. *2026-08-24, version 2.0.0* 🚨 WARNING 🚨 Version 2 moves to a subscription model, disabling features that were free before, and moving these features behind a subscription paywall. Most notably, Hourly News v2 limits you to only 2 news sources. Restoring the ability to play more than 2 news sources requires signing up for a paid subscription at $5 per month. Any previous in-app purchases you may have made — e.g., to add custom news sources — are not honored in the new app, and you will still have to pay a monthly fee to play your custom sources. If you’re looking for an alternative, the app ‘Hourly Newsy’ offers many of the same features for a one-time purchase price of just $5: hourlynewsy.com. ### 1/5 — What is wrong with hourly news app *2026-08-24, version 2.0.0* Now you are charging to listen to your radio. Not happy. ### 1/5 — Used to be better *2026-08-24, version 2.0.0* They recently started charging and it’s not worth it… ### 1/5 — Disappointing Hourly News 2.0 Update *2026-08-24, version 2.0.0* I’ve been a loyal Hourly News listener for over a decade, but unfortunately, the new 2.0 update has been a major disappointment. Since the update, the app regularly skips news updates between Fox News and Bloomberg, which defeats the entire purpose of using Hourly News to conveniently listen to multiple news sources. What makes this even more frustrating is the new subscription requirement. I’m now being asked to pay for the service while still being forced to listen to commercials. If I’m paying for a subscription, I would expect a better experience—not technical problems and continued advertising. I’ve supported and used this app for more than 10 years, so I don’t make this criticism lightly. However, the 2.0 update feels like a significant step backward. If the skipping issues aren’t corrected soon, I will be requesting a refund and canceling my subscription. I hope the developers listen to longtime customers and fix these problems quickly. ### 1/5 — Unfair *2026-08-23, version 2.0.0* I will always listen to all your podcasts . Now I only get 3 , if not I have to pay . Thanks but I’m not interested . You are NOT the only news source ### 1/5 — Too expensive for free news online recaps *2026-08-22, version 2.0.0* Was great at first to just buy the app and then get the newsfeeds but now you have to pay per month and it’s too expensive for free news feeds that you can get online ### 3/5 — Was excellent, now disappointing *2026-08-21, version 2.0.0* I recognize that the complete rewrite meant they needed to charge more, but I found the requirement of premium for more than two sources to be very frustrating. Audio quality has also gotten fuzzier, especially on NPR. Last week, I would have given this five stars. Today, three. ### 1/5 — Horrible “Update” *2026-08-20, version 2.0.0* I’ve been using the Hourly News for nearly a decade. It’s been an amazingly wonderful resource. The recent update seems to be just a money grab it seems impossible, but the sound quality on all of the venues has dramatically worsened. (I know nothing has changed about my phone itself.) nothing able to actually hear the news. It’s kind of a significant problem with this app. ### 1/5 — No longer free *2026-08-19, version 2.0.0* No. I won’t be subscribing. It’s disappointing to see this change after years of listening. ### 1/5 — Subscription service sucks *2026-08-19, version 2.0.0* I had this app forever. Recent update and now it’s $3 a month ? Not worth it , especially when I bet we will still listen to internal ads. Deleted this promptly ## Frequently asked questions about Hourly News ### What does Hourly News do? Hourly News is an app that automatically plays the most recent news updates from a variety of sources as soon as you open it. It functions similarly to a podcast app, providing access to news feeds from major broadcasters and allowing you to add your own custom sources. ### What are the key features of Hourly News? Key features include automatic playback of the latest news summaries upon opening, background audio playback, the ability to add custom podcast feeds, reordering and managing news sources, and iCloud syncing of settings and sources. It also allows you to skip podcasts you've already heard. ### Is Hourly News free to use? The app is free to download and use, offering access to numerous news feeds. While the app itself does not insert ads, some of the news sources may include advertisements within their streams, which cannot be removed by the app. ### What news sources are available on Hourly News? Hourly News provides access to recent updates from a wide range of sources including NPR, BBC, CBC, ABC, CBS, ESPN, VOA, SRN, RTHK, DW, Marketplace, New York Times, and FOX news, among others. Users can also add their own custom podcast feeds. ### How does the download speed work? Download speeds for news updates are dependent on your internet connection, such as Edge, 3G, 4G, LTE, or WiFi. Faster connections like LTE and WiFi will result in quicker downloads of the news content. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.0.0 — 2026-08-15 Hourly News 2.0 is a brand-new app, rebuilt from the ground up. • All-new design — the same one-tap simplicity, with a fresh look on every device • Apple Watch app — a full player on your wrist; control your iPhone or play directly from the watch, even without your phone nearby • Widgets — play, pause, and skip from the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and watch faces • CarPlay — the latest news, on the road • Siri — just ask Siri to play the news • Mac app — Hourly News now lives in your Mac's menu bar • Custom sources — add any podcast feed to your rotation • Skip Already Listened — automatically skips updates you've heard, synced across your devices • Smarter playback — upcoming updates download ahead of time for instant, reliable listening, even on weak connections • Playback speed control, refreshed Now Playing support, and dozens of smaller fixes and improvements Hourly News 2.0 comes with a 14-day free trial of Hourly News Premium. Questions or feedback? Email support@urbanapps.com — we read everything. ### 1.7.3 — 2017-07-24 This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included. • Bug fixes and optimizations ### 1.7.2 — 2017-07-20 • Bug fixes and optimizations ### 1.7.1 — 2017-07-07 • Ready for upcoming iOS versions • Bug fixes and optimizations ### 1.7.0 — 2017-07-06 • Ready for upcoming iOS versions • Bug fixes and optimizations ## Apps similar to Hourly News | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Funnel](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/funnel/id964666344) | 4.6 (1,285) | Free | News | | [POLITICO](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/politico/id358305912) | 4.7 (49,025) | Free | News | | [Pocket Casts: Podcast Player](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-casts-podcast-player/id414834813) | 4.5 (15,471) | Free | News | | [Espresso: World news in a shot](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/espresso-world-news-in-a-shot/id896628003) | 4.8 (17,140) | Free | News | | [Downcast](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/downcast/id393858566) | 4.3 (2,663) | $2.99 | News | | [The Free Press](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-free-press/id6742335623) | 4.9 (12,786) | Free | News | ## More apps by Urban Apps - [NYC Bikes — A One-Tap Citi Bike App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nyc-bikes-a-one-tap-citi-bike-app/id684025846) - [Chicago Bikes — A One-Tap Divvy Bike App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-bikes-a-one-tap-divvy-bike-app/id748104927) - [D.C. 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User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*