# LAist — user reviews > 168 indexed App Store user reviews of LAist by Southern California Public Radio, rated 4.30/5 from 634 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laist/id293825085/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/laist/id293825085.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 441 · 4★ 70 · 3★ 44 · 2★ 42 · 1★ 37 ## What do users think of LAist? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 🚀 Easy to use - 👍 Reliable source of news - 👍 Vital app for news - 👍 Fantastic - 👍 Reliable and unbiased - 👍 Excellent investigative reporting - 👍 Informative and entertaining - 👍 Vital for staying informed - 👍 Excellent local and national coverage - 👍 Clean and well-designed app **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and unstable - 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes - 🐛 Glitchy performance issues - 🐛 Carplay not working properly - 🐛 Ads disrupt the listening experience - 🐛 Difficult to navigate and find content - 🐛 Cluttered and confusing interface - 🐛 Lack of key features like rewind and sleep timer **Commonly reported bugs** - Podcasts not loading properly - Live stream frequently drops out - Playback issues when switching between apps - Inconsistent behavior when pausing and resuming - Sync issues between device and app **Most requested features** - Add rewind and fast-forward functionality - Improve CarPlay integration - Implement a sleep timer - Enhance podcast playback controls - Improve organization and discoverability of content - Add a dark mode option - Provide better support for older devices ## Newest reviews (16 of 168) ### 3/5 — Great Content. Backward-facing App *2026-07-17* I’m a 25+ year devotee of KPCC/LAist, but the app is barely useable for keeping up with live news. It used to be amazing before the pandemic and would cache audio and let you rewind for anything you missed. Now, you’re better off waiting until those shows are archived as a podcast (and hoping you don’t forget, for a topic that might be less current when you get back to it.) It stops on my phone constantly, and then you usually have to listen to a 30-60 sec commercial to get back to the stream (so if you’re switching from the car radio to listening ‘on foot’ you miss what you may have been hoping to hear before you switched- happens constantly.) I’m a person who works on foot a lot, so I’ve had to divorce myself from caring about the content (which is tough for a 15-yr $15/mo contributor.) It was so bad, I switched to Audials (which records), but that started glitching, so I’m back for the pain of this app. ### 2/5 — Frustrating to use through Apple Play *2026-07-07* I am surprised at all the glowing reviews because I have been continually frustrated using the app. My number one use is while driving when out of range of a good signal (or traveling away from stations). So often, instead of live streaming, I get an ad on repeat every time I hit play. Driving in my car, I don’t want options (not that there are many) - I want one button for live streaming. Period. I understand I may need to listen to an ad before joining the live program and that should be it - play the ad and jump to the live content. Instead, the app often plays the ad and stops. Hit play again and get the ad, again and stop. Repeat this cycle until I give up. I love LAist and want to keep listening even when I am unable to receive the signal - and mostly I am unable to do that. ### 2/5 — Great radio. Ever more intrusive app *2026-05-18, version 7.4.8* I'm a sustaining member of LAist. Was a broadcast circle member. I can't believe how much advertising they insist I listen to when using this app. Used to be occasional. Now it's every time I open the app. And donating doesn't let you opt out. You think this is helping? Clearly burning good will. ### 3/5 — CarPlay issues *2026-04-28, version 7.3.3* Was working fine now all of a sudden doesn’t work for CarPlay. Maybe an update is needed? ### 4/5 — App doesn’t work very well. *2026-04-05* I repeatedly have difficulty getting the live broadcast to work on the app. I even deleted the app and reinstalled it, and it still works just as badly. I don’t have problems making other apps work. ### 2/5 — The app is bad *2026-03-03, version 7.3.3* Great news, incredible reporting, but the app is so so bad. Every article you click can’t be read in app - it launches a browser within the app. There’s no way to search for articles within the app, there’s also a limit on the ones you can see. The website is great, the app is not. ### 4/5 — Easy to use - but CarPlay broken *2026-02-17, version 7.3.3* App is fine but unusable under CarPlay. Live radio station only plays the ad read and then stops. ### 3/5 — Same Old Performance Issues *2026-02-10, version 7.3.3* App is still sometimes glitchy. Some shows like The Daily no longer seem to work. Podcasts still often stop after they begin and take a while to resume. ### 2/5 — Carplay awful *2026-02-01, version 7.3.3* why would I have to push the screen several times to play and to get around the ads? Has anyone at LAist use this with CarPlay? ### 2/5 — More stable less usable *2026-01-14* The bug fixes are a great idea, but the new user interface is just getting worse and worse. A cluttered screen, the most functional buttons made the tiniest with shifting labels because they are context dependent. A good example of this bad design is that you have to enable Favorites in a Settings every time there’s an upgrade because the default is to disable favorites. Like a lot of apps today, the function of the interface is to promote things not to access things. I guess you could say the ethos of this app is favorites are disabled by default. ### 3/5 — Great content, unfortunate promos *2025-12-27* I love LAist (preferred the call letters KPPC). The app’s content is fantastic, which is why I contribute monthly. It’s just unfortunate that listeners have to wait through promotional ads for the content before being allowed to access it. Also, it takes more taps and searching to find recorded shows than it should. ### 5/5 — LAist is my go-to! *2025-07-12, version 6.3.2* I feel I can always trust LAist coverage of the news. I donate to my public radio station monthly, hoping to keep NPR alive. We need honest journalism and this is where I find it. ### 5/5 — The best news in Los Angeles! *2025-06-12* I really appreciate this app. I used to listen to the radio show, but I actually prefer the app because I can listen to any show at any time, as opposed to missing great shows while I am at work. Also, this way, I do not need to listen to shows that I don't prefer. I support LAist with a small donation every month because I really appreciate them. Honestly, I feel like I know them. Even though I know I don't. 😆 I'm sure that MAGAS Will not think so, but these reporters truly are unbiased. They look out for"Regular people." And I love the local reporting as well as the national reporting that I hear from them. It is a horrible shame that the NPR 1 app was discontinued, because I really do not care for the npr app. The LAist app is a really good replacement for the NPR-1 app. ### 4/5 — Almost good…. *2025-05-28, version 6.2.24* Very good news stories but as far as I can tell, at least on iPad and android, no way to forward an article to oneself for future reading; also, near impossible to find the daily program schedule, but the program/podcast “tiles” are great. Still best npr station for LA and SoCal. ### 4/5 — Review by David *2025-05-02, version 6.2.24* The app is OK but lack a rewind or fast-forward button and it’s somewhat difficult to locate the play button. I think the play button should be near the top under the donate button. ### 4/5 — Sleep function? *2025-04-23, version 6.2.24* Love the app I'm listening while visiting Japan. It would love to have a sleep feature that can be set for 30 min or 1 hour etc ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Great station - buggy app *2025-12-21, version 7.3.0* LAist is my go to station - always - but the number of times I have to delete and fully reinstall this app just to get it working again is insane. I run a software business, it’s not this hard to deliver a good consumer app on iOS. ### 1/5 — Unusable *2025-09-11, version 6.3.2* Cannot read an article because a full screen ad keeps popping up ### 1/5 — Great station - buggy app *2025-07-26, version 6.3.2* LAist is my go to station - always - but the number of times I have to delete and fully reinstall this app just to get it working again is insane. I run a software business, it’s not this hard to deliver a good consumer app on iOS. ### 1/5 — Add/fix calendar *2025-06-05, version 6.3.2* I want the list of weekly and weekend things to do separated out. Either in a separate tab or easier to find. That’s my favorite part of LAist and it’s buried on the app currently ### 1/5 — I miss the old app *2025-02-16, version 6.2.24* Unnecessarily complicated and confusing. It’s difficult to navigate when listening to a podcast. I can no longer listen to the Daily podcast unless I subscribe to the New York Times. ### 1/5 — Not up to date *2025-02-16, version 6.2.24* I use to like listening to catch up and hear the latest news locally and nationally but my choices now are always yesterday’s news and never today’s new. ### 1/5 — Po *2025-02-13, version 6.2.24* Poor design ### 1/5 — Don’t like the update *2025-01-27, version 6.2.24* It’s like the app took two steps backwards after the update. There’s no night mode, the sleep timer is now on a separate page instead of the page with the show playing. It just feels and looks awkward. Take a look at the BBC apps in comparison. ### 1/5 — I wish I didn't update the app *2025-01-07, version 6.2.24* terrible upgrade... ### 1/5 — Upgrade Fail *2024-12-26, version 6.2.24* Most of the podcasts do not load. They used to before the newest version was released. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great Support/Great App! *2026-04-27, version 7.3.3* I recently reported an issue with the app. It was immediately responded to and not long after that it was fixed! ### 5/5 — Best News App *2026-02-10, version 7.3.3* This is the best, least biased source of news available from real journalists. It’s a tough time for staying informed and LAist makes a balanced palate possible, the bitter, sour, and sweet, with none too overwhelming. ### 5/5 — Vital app for news *2026-02-06, version 7.3.3* I love having access to news and audio through the app. ### 5/5 — Reliable Source of Local News *2026-01-31, version 7.3.3* Great investigative reporting and my go-to for what’s happening in LA. ### 5/5 — Home *2025-12-12, version 7.3.0* Listening here in Vienna. Miss Home. Stay strong! ### 5/5 — Good station *2025-11-30, version 6.3.15* It’s from Pasadena California and it’s very representative of that part of LA ### 5/5 — LAist for life *2025-10-22, version 6.3.2* The highest standards of reporting on critical local, statewide and national happenings. Always offers great pieces on the community and culture of LA and socal. Grateful to have access to LAist from anywhere in the world. Keeps me feeling close to home. ### 5/5 — Fantastic *2025-10-01, version 6.3.2* LAIST is informative, entertaining, and reliable. The reporters are true journalists interested in facts and truths, and journalistic integrity. I’ve moved 2000 miles away from LA and still listen to it. ### 5/5 — LAist for the win! *2025-08-07, version 6.3.2* Love NPR and LAist and this app brings the programs with me everywhere ### 5/5 — Easy to use, clean app *2025-07-29* This app should become the gold standard for radio stations. It is very well designed, everything is easy to find, a real jump from the old version. It has become my goto app for local news, as KPFK, the other really relevant station has great content but only a website so far, no app. --- *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.*