# NHK WORLD-JAPAN — user reviews > 559 indexed App Store user reviews of NHK WORLD by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), rated 3.80/5 from 507 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nhk-world-japan/id350732480/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nhk-world-japan/id350732480.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 255 · 4★ 82 · 3★ 59 · 2★ 42 · 1★ 69 ## What do users think of NHK WORLD? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 🚀 High-quality live streaming - 👍 Informative and balanced news coverage - 🌍 Provides window into Japanese culture and events - 💡 Useful for learning Japanese **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and unstable app performance - 🔇 Poor audio and video quality, especially on mobile networks - 🚫 Lack of Chromecast/AirPlay support - 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content **Commonly reported bugs** - Constant buffering and connection issues - Inability to scrub or rewind video playback - Notifications not working as expected - Frequent app crashes and freezes **Most requested features** - Add dark mode option - Improve Chromecast and AirPlay support - Provide more on-demand programming - Allow customization of content and notifications - Add option to view content in Japanese language ## Newest reviews (16 of 559) ### 4/5 — English subs please *2026-08-26, version 9.0.2* I love being able to watch The Professionals. It would be great to have an option for Japanese audio with English subtitles. Or even just Japanese audio with no subtitles. Also, please can we have the backlog of episodes of The Professionals! ### 4/5 — Love NHK World programs *2026-07-02, version 9.0.2* I wish I was able to cast the programs to my TV. Watching on my mobile device is not optimal ### 3/5 — Cast *2026-06-16, version 9.0.2* I hope the app allow to cast on screen like the previous version. ### 4/5 — Love the App!!! *2026-05-07, version 9.0.2* NHK has been in my life for almost a decade! Originally I’d see the channel on cable. I have been using this app for many years and always find something interesting or new. We used to be able to cast/stream the videos to a TV so I could watch it at home, but that option was recently taken away. Please add casting/streaming back!! I actually use the app less now that I can only watch on my phone. ### 2/5 — 일본어 공부하게 그냥 일본어로 보게 해주세요 *2026-02-10, version 9.0.2* ㅇㅇ ### 2/5 — good but *2026-01-02, version 9.0.1* why no Japanese? ### 2/5 — No Japanese language *2025-12-25, version 9.0.1* The app is available in 19 languages but Japanese is not one of them? This should be an easy fix as this doesn’t require translation at all… ### 3/5 — Why can’t it be aired in Japanese? *2025-12-09, version 9.0.1* I would love to listen to nightly news in Japanese. As it is I will probably only come and use it when major stories crop up. ### 3/5 — Dark mode please. *2025-11-23, version 9.0.1* Dark mode please. ### 3/5 — Update the app! *2025-11-10, version 9.0.1* Please update the app icon and overall UI within the app, particularly navigation bar at the bottom, to match the latest Liquid Glass aesthetics on iOS 26. ### 1/5 — They took away functionality *2025-11-07, version 9.0.1* Please allow us to cast to our smart TV. Why did you take that function away? I know there’s a native Google TV app but I like the option to cast the live stream to a TV that doesn’t have the app installed. ### 1/5 — Chromecast Protocol no longer supported *2025-10-20, version 9.0.1* Why was Casting support removed? I used to watch NHK daily across all my devices but am no longer able to stay up to date with NHK News or programs. ### 4/5 — 記事読み上げ機能について *2025-10-19, version 9.0.1* 記事毎にAIの読み上げ音声が聞けるようになったのはありがたい事です。欲を言えば、音声の性別や地域(英語なら米・英、中国語なら北京・広東、ベトナム語なら南・北)を選べるようにしてほしいです。 ### 2/5 — Killed chromecast? *2025-10-07, version 9.0.1* Ver 9.0 killed Chromecast support for some reason and I used the app to watch on my tv all the time. Otherwise, could use a dark mode too ### 1/5 — Needs cast option back *2025-10-07, version 9.0.1* Cast button missing on latest update. I only ever used the app to cast from my phone ### 1/5 — Chromcast *2025-10-05, version 9.0.1* Chromcast復活させて下さい。 ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Outdated *2026-08-19, version 9.0.2* This is 2026 and still missing the dark mode feature that was introduced globally many years ago!!! The UI is extremely outdated, with no latest ‘slide and magnified’ style navigation bar to match the latest iOS 26 Liquid Glass aesthetics. Do you even care?! ### 1/5 — Medical Frontiers program not on the app *2026-08-18, version 9.0.2* I downloaded the app to watch Medical Frontiers. The program airs on NHK. The app does not have this valuable program on the app. ### 1/5 — Suggestion *2026-06-11, version 9.0.2* Can Japanese be offered as one of the languages? ### 1/5 — Anti foreigner sentiment - nonstop *2026-03-28, version 9.0.2* Almost every single article/story is about how much Japanese and NHK dislike foreigners. It seems very odd considering the whole app is targeting foreigners. Is your purpose to get us to download your app so we can feel bad and feel afraid and leave Japan? Never to return? One article will be about how foreigner workers are not welcome and how much trouble we cause. The next story will be about Japanese employment and worker crisis due to lack of skilled workers and low rates of birth. Do you not see the hypocrisy? In my opinion, NHK are acting as mouthpiece for a very dark side of Japan which is not reality. The truth is Japanese people are overwhelmingly lovely and this negativity demonstrated by NHK is not representative of real life in Japan. ### 1/5 — Very disappointing *2026-01-21, version 9.0.2* This app is currently very outdated from the latest iOS 26. Still no ‘dark mode’ feature that was introduced many years ago!!! The overall UI also falling behind, with no latest ‘slide and magnified’ style navigation bar at the bottom to match the latest iOS 26 Liquid Glass aesthetics. Do you even care?! ### 1/5 — Removed casting functionality in update 9.0.1 *2025-12-08, version 9.0.1* I really used to love the app and all the programming it provided, but since they removed built-in casting functionality, the app has become pretty much useless. By removing that feature in a video player app, they pretty much removed most of the value from the entire app… unless you like looking at stuff on a tiny screen constantly. Wildly stupid move. ### 1/5 — No More Japanology+ *2025-12-03, version 9.0.1* Japanology+ and Begin Japanology are the best products produced by NHK World-Japan. They’ve all been scrubbed from YouTube and the NHK World website. Now you can only find climate change alarmism propaganda… the opposite of what NHK world once was. ### 1/5 — Livestream *2025-11-28, version 9.0.1* Die Livestream Übertragung ist bescheiden. ### 1/5 — NHK NEWSLINEがアプリから聞けなくなってる *2025-11-22, version 9.0.1* 2〜3年前までこのアプリを使っていました。主に日本のNEWSLINEを英語で聴ける点が良かったのですが、久々にアプリをダウンロードしたとことろ、アプリ内から無くなっている様子。コメントを確認してみると、おそらく、インターネットブラウザに遷移して、そこで見る必要があるようで、UXとしてはとても残念でした。私にはアプリは不要でした。 ### 1/5 — Can no longer set program alerts?!? *2025-11-13, version 9.0.1* This app has gotten so bad with recent updates. Can no long play replayed videos from Luve tab, you must search for them in the Shows tab. Just very very poor changes lately. Can’t set alarm for when a show starts in latest versions (>9.0.0). UPDATE: I have been informed by NHK that “alarms have been discontinued”… what a great way to kill viewership. And now play button/icon is missing from shows, so now you cannot tell if a show is first run or a repeat. Or if ahows are available to watch VOD. You have to explicitly look and search in Shows to see what’s available. Their logic for this dumbfounds me. I suspect those wanting casting are also out of luck and also suspect these changes are leading up to the app being discontinued in the near future, roku app is now gone. Very, very strange changes indeed. NHK should just use YouTube for all their live and archived content (not just the news) and forgo the app. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Treatment of foreigners *2026-08-02, version 9.0.2* Have been to Tokyo for 9 days and hokkaido also 9 days we were treated with great respect I met mayor and council Obihiro I went to grade school The children wanted to meet an American my daughter-in-law is from Obihiro I love Japan ### 5/5 — NHK Brasil *2026-03-11, version 9.0.2* Toshio ### 5/5 — Great when it worked for me *2026-02-13, version 9.0.2* It’s working again. Must have been a glitch of some kind. I love NHK World Japan. Great Shows. Beautiful Country. 👍🏼 from Canada ### 5/5 — Unable to cast to Chromecast *2025-10-07, version 9.0.1* Can NHK kindly add the cast to Chromecast and built in tv Chromecast again as I used to watch it without problem. Thanks ### 5/5 — 9+ Years of Viewing *2025-08-11, version 8.9.1* I've been viewing this app for 9+ years and still continue to use it regularly. The news broadcasts are informative, and the video-on-demand programs are excellent. Thank you NHK World Japan for your hard work and reliability. Here's to many more years of viewership. ( ◠‿◠ ) ### 5/5 — Very Good App *2025-08-09, version 8.9.1* Nice app but how about a download feature,i be t may be a good but overall it’s a great app ### 5/5 — Japanese *2025-08-05, version 8.9.1* I am using NHK world to learn Japanese through TV as well as the traditional text book it is actually helping my Japanese massively Thank you NHK (I am learning Japanese to do my future job as electrical engineer in Japan they pay more than where i am now :) ### 5/5 — ありがとうございます (🇦🇺) *2025-06-03, version 8.9.1* I’ve had used this app for almost 7 years now. I watch it several times a week. I couldn’t be happier with the content. A multifaceted experience of Japanese culture, in English (spoken and subtitles). Great care is taken to present the shows for an English speaking audience. And it is some of the most informative and thoughtful programming anywhere in the world. The on-demand program list is regularly updated. My preferred shows are Design Talks Plus, Japanology Plus, 72 Hours, Cycling Around Japan and Hometown Stories. My absolute favorite is Somewhere Street. The player is always reliable. It includes skip forward and back, screen-in-screen and casting. To NHK World: please continue this high quality and valuable service! The inspiration and insight it provides is deeply treasured. ### 5/5 — Best Sumo content for English *2025-05-31, version 8.9.1* If you want to watch all the sumo events for free -in English- this app is great. They have both the live unedited but also have daily recaps. ### 5/5 — Great app *2025-02-25, version 8.9.0* Wish there was a download feature --- *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 2026-09-03.*