# Newcastle Herald — user reviews > 35 indexed App Store user reviews of Newcastle Herald by Rural Press Pty Ltd, rated 4.60/5 from 10 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newcastle-herald/id1527270296/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newcastle-herald/id1527270296.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 7 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 0 ## Newest reviews (11 of 35) ### 3/5 — Loading *2025-04-28* It has become slow to download lately on the laptop yet loads quick on the app on the phone ### 4/5 — More Hunter focus *2024-10-08* I would love to see more news from the wider Hunter rather than just Newcastle. ### 4/5 — App constant failure *2023-06-27* Takes minutes to produce the daily paper. Very frustrating. On a pc however, no problems whatsoever. **Developer response:** Sorry to hear, but please contact our subscriptionsupport@austcommunitymedia.com.au for assistance regarding your concerns with your App experience. ### 3/5 — Review *2023-05-25, version 1.8* Disappointed with logon procedure to get daily herald ### 4/5 — NH review *2023-05-24, version 1.8* I enjoy downloading the herald in the morning. ### 2/5 — Slow and repetitive downloading *2023-03-16* So far this morning we have has to download the paper 3 times even after my wife has read it. We keep getting the message “Failed to load timeline. The operation couldn’t be completed. (NSURLErrorDomain error - 999.) Retry”. This happens every day and only since the app was upgraded. It is getting very frustrating. It is fine once we can read it and easier to go straight to a page with the little thumbnails on the right. **Developer response:** Hi Richard, One suggestion is to try Delete the App and reinstall the app to see if the error still occurs. Does it only occur on one smart device or all devices. Please contact the support team on 1300 131 095, Option 2 for our team to assist you and obtain further details for IT to investigate. ### 3/5 — New app *2023-03-16* The new app is rubbish, keep getting loading errors. I pay good money to read the paper, and the moment I’m considering cancelling….. fix the app so it loads first time. **Developer response:** Hi, One suggestion is to try Delete the App and reinstall the app to see if the error still occurs. Does it only occur on one smart device or all devices. Please contact the support team on 1300 131 095, Option 2 for our team to assist you and obtain further details for IT to investigate. ### 3/5 — We don’t like this version at all! *2023-03-08* We think that it is cumbersome and difficult to read completely. The older version was much better. It had it’s faults but looked like a paper and that is what we prefer! **Developer response:** Hi, It may be best to contact our the digital support team via email or phone to help assist with your concerns with The App. They should be able to assist you with your concerns. Our updated App has more content and refined for viewing purpose. 1300 131 095 opt 2. ### 4/5 — Newcastle Herald electronically *2023-02-20* The reading has been made more difficult since it has been changed to appearing as two pages across the screen and having to continually enlarge the page to read. It was so much reader friendly when each page could be individually put up on the screen on my iPad. I’ll see how it goes, however, if it remains too cumbersome, I will not be renewing my subscription in the future. This is a shame having been a Newcastle Herald readier for over 55 years. **Developer response:** Hi, It may be best to contact our the digital support team via email or phone to help assist with your concerns with The App. They should be able to assist you with your concerns. Our updated App has more content and refined for viewing purpose. 1300 131 095 opt 2. ### 2/5 — Possibly the worst news app out there *2022-11-05, version 1.3* Sometimes this app works but often it lags and fails to load. When you download the paper it usually has a lag when you want to go down the page. This is an awful app given that you pay a subscription. The developers need to look at some other apps that work such as AFR, The Australian, SMH. Really this app is pathetic. ### 2/5 — Quality Journalism, Dodgy ‘Digital Solutions’ Firm *2021-10-06, version 1.3* Journalism produced by The Newcastle Herald is great, which is good as they’re just about the only locally produced content available other than 30 mins a day of TV. HOWEVER, the dodgy firm which runs the app is piano.io, that’s the website and maybe they’re just piano, who specialise in manipulating (they prefer “influencing”) consumer behaviour to maximise click bait and subscriptions. This includes, but is most certainly not limited to, links redirecting out of the app, harvesting data and offering FAKE DEALS through the app (this happened to me, had all the proof in pictures and was gaslit endlessly by customer service which shows that they are fully aware of what they are doing). Buyer beware, you are the product! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Cannot log in *2024-03-28, version 3.2* The app is pretty much useless. No way to log in except a stupid email link. Could not use app after downloading at all. Despite paying for subscription ### 1/5 — Another set of useless unnecessary changes to a working app *2024-02-02* Why did this need to change. The new version constantly ejects you from the page being read to the title list of -ages. A complete pain. The evolution of most software from intuitive and simple to downright dumb, non intuitive and illogical continues apace. I have no doubt you will ignore these comments and continue to make useless improvements which mean I will in time stop using the product **Developer response:** Sorry to hear, but please contact our subscriptionsupport@austcommunitymedia.com.au for assistance regarding your concerns with your App experience ### 1/5 — Substandard app for reading Newy news *2023-07-22* The only reason I use this app is because it’s only slightly better than a basic html page but I frequently have to close it or get redirected to html pages anyway, it’s so frustrating, slow to load, glitchy… disappointing really. **Developer response:** Sorry to hear, but please contact our subscriptionsupport@austcommunitymedia.com.au for assistance regarding your concerns with your App experience. ### 1/5 — Newcastle Herald *2023-05-29, version 1.8* Rotten ### 1/5 — Fail on tablets *2023-05-26* Works OK on a phone but has problems on a tablet of either denomination. Keeps loading the paper from the previous day and has to be shut down and restarted to get current day’s edition and is slow doing it. **Developer response:** Sorry to hear, but please contact our subscriptionsupport@austcommunitymedia.com.au for assistance regarding your concerns. ### 1/5 — New App. *2023-05-25* Since you recently changed the App., it takes me up to a dozen tries to download the newspaper. It is totally frustrating. Touching the page to turn it, regularly causes it to disappear and I must start again. I previously had no trouble at all. This reader for over 50 years, is almost ready to give up. It was not broken, but you ,” fixed,” it and not in a good way. ### 1/5 — Password *2023-03-14, version 1.7* Password request and reset process is hopeless. ### 1/5 — Terrible Changes *2023-02-20* The Changes to the App are not user friendly The publisher is concerned for the future of regional press this app is the biggest threat to my continued subscription . The previous app had options to show a page to the screen ,this cannot be done now without engaging the two page display which often results in a reset to page one. Very annoying Rod **Developer response:** Hi Subscriber, Thank you for your feedback. The new App is more refined for content and viewing of the articles. As for the Digital replica of the paper, you are able to double tap to view a single page view. A single tap in the article section will now offer an improved text view of article as well and allows you to switch back to paper format view. Please contact the support team on 1300 131 095 Option 2 if you have require further assistance ### 1/5 — Newcastle Herald *2023-02-20* Not happy with the way the new format of the Newcastle Herald make it very difficult to read. and sometimes just cannot download it down. Downloading is very very slow Lyn Richens **Developer response:** Hi, It may be best to contact our the digital support team via email or phone to help assist with your concerns with The App. They should be able to assist you with your concerns. Our updated App has more content and refined for viewing purpose. 1300 131 095 opt 2. ### 2/5 — Frustration *2024-02-21* On several occasions the app doesn’t load the latest copy of the paper which is very frustrating **Developer response:** Hi, Sorry to hear of your experience, please contact the support team on 1300131095 option 2. Our team will be happy to assist you ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — My Herald *2025-02-28* 46 years plus I have read the Herald daily, I can’t stop it now , as I am ageing it keeps me up to date with what’s happening with local and world wide news . And the competitions it runs is a bonus. Thanks you all do an amazing job. Lou’s Thought’s ### 5/5 — Great app for a great newspaper *2024-08-09* The app works well on an iPad so I can read it like I would the paper version. Only thing I don’t like is there are no more letters from Brad Hill in Singleton. What happened to that guy? ### 5/5 — C. Crossey *2023-06-21* Since the last update of the app I thought I would give it a bit of time to see if I got used to it. I have not got used to it, every day it is a source of frustration ! Reading the Herald on my iPad is much more annoying than it was before. I like to read it in the newspaper format and it is a pain. I am considering cancelling my subscription and going back to buying the paper version ! **Developer response:** Sorry to hear, but please contact our subscriptionsupport@austcommunitymedia.com.au for assistance regarding your concerns with your App experience. ### 5/5 — Digital news *2023-05-23* To whom it may concern Thank you for making available the ability for me to read the Newcastle Morning Herald each day on my iPad. The very informative local, National and International news items are well covered. I also enjoy the puzzles page keeping my brain active and giving me my daily challenge. Keep up the good work! Moira Kirby🌻 ### 5/5 — My Herald *2023-03-22, version 1.7* 46 years plus I have read the Herald daily, I can’t stop it now , as I am ageing it keeps me up to date with what’s happening with local and world wide news . And the competitions it runs is a bonus. Thanks you all do an amazing job. Lou’s Thought’s ### 5/5 — Not for iPads *2023-02-28* The app may have been regigged to suit mobile phones but it is a disaster for iPads. I was an early adopter of the digital Herald but it’s now clunky and unreliable. Can’t even load it most days without half a dozen tries. Will be rethinking my subscription. I notice plenty of other complaints. Maybe fix it? Service has gone backwards **Developer response:** Hi, It may be best to contact our the digital support team via email or phone to help assist with your concerns with The App. They should be able to assist you with your concerns. Our updated App has more content and refined for viewing purpose. 1300 131 095 opt 2. ### 5/5 — Not happy *2023-02-23* We are having trouble accessing the paper VERY FRUSTRATING! **Developer response:** Hi, It may be best to contact our the digital support team via email or phone to help assist with your concerns with The App. They should be able to assist you with your concerns. Our updated App has more content and refined for viewing purpose. 1300 131 095 opt 2. ### 5/5 — A poor app made worse *2023-02-15, version 1.6* This app always required more taps than necessary just to access the paper - surely the only reason to load it in the first place. Now the latest incarnation requires even more steps to do this, and if you lose your place for some reason, you have to remember the page number you were on, and scroll laboriously to get back to it. If using the app on a smaller screen you accidentally tap, you’re greeted with a separate page with just that story when probably all you wanted to do was scan the first couple of sentences. Let’s not also forget the mindless way the pages are presented: if the print paper has an insert, that’s placed between one news page and the next. For the Friday TV guide, for example, there’s page after page of unrelated content between Saturday’s programs and Sunday’s. Why? ### 5/5 — Scrolling problems *2022-01-04, version 1.3* I often find that while I can move horizontally between articles I can’t get the article to scroll up and down ### 5/5 — Pathetic App *2021-04-29, version 1.2* Has the developer seen the Sydney Morning Herald 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 2026-09-02.*