# RNZ — user reviews > 139 indexed App Store user reviews of RNZ by Radio New Zealand, rated 3.60/5 from 17 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rnz/id407890305/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rnz/id407890305.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 6 · 4★ 5 · 3★ 2 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 3 ## What do users think of RNZ? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 📰 High-quality, ad-free news content - 🌙 Dark mode implementation (recently added) - 🎙️ Excellent radio streaming and podcasts - 🆓 Free access to comprehensive news - 📱 Generally user-friendly interface - 🔕 Customizable notification controls - 🌍 Good international news coverage - 💾 Ability to save and download content **Cons** - 🐛 App crashes and freezes frequently - 📏 Text size too small, poor accessibility - 🔊 Audio playback stops when app backgrounded - 📱 Not optimized for iPad (phone-sized view) - 🔗 Many articles redirect to external browser - 🔔 Excessive 'breaking news' notifications despite filters - 🖼️ Dark mode breaks image/graph readability - ⚠️ HomePod connection drops - 🔋 High battery consumption - 🧭 Confusing navigation and layout - ⏱️ Slow load times - 🔄 App requires frequent reinstalls to function **Commonly reported bugs** - App stops playing audio when screen locks - Crashes on iPhone 14 with iOS 18.5 - HomePod connection drops after seconds - News items fail to open randomly - Swipe-to-go-back navigation broken - App cuts out mid-playback - Buffering and stopping issues - Dark mode renders graph legends unreadable - iPad display shows narrow phone-sized view - News articles stuck on stale cached versions - Playback jumps back/forward during live streams - App hangs when opening news items **Most requested features** - Dynamic Type/adjustable font size support - Image zoom functionality in articles - iPad-optimized app version - Granular notification settings (sports, crime, regional) - Sleep timer feature - Skip forward/backward 30-second buttons - Home button on every page - Widget for breaking news - Better CarPlay functionality - Direct speaker/Sonos integration - Program schedule display in app - Offline access to downloaded content - Siri voice command support ## Newest reviews (18 of 139) ### 3/5 — No option to disable spoilers *2026-08-15, version 4.3.1* If you’re going to post sports score lines as “breaking news” then there should be an option to disable that. A bit ridiculous to have sports notifications disabled and still get sports headlines. ### 4/5 — Fine but some glitches… *2026-06-21, version 4.2.4* I’ve been delighted with this app as a great source of news though some odd problems on my ipad: 1. Leaving the app and returning later in the day does not reset and update the news unless quit the app completely and re-open 2. This is a new one, didn’t happen on earlier versions. News articles which send to a ‘read the article’ link rather then directly to article text open a full page catalogue of ‘RNZ Sections’ right over the top of the text…rendering it useless. This did not happen on previous version, and has never happened on the android version. ### 2/5 — Crashes on open *2026-04-30, version 4.2.4* It’s been crashing immediately on opening since the last update. Latest iOS, iPhone 15. Still waiting for an update. It’s a good app, when it’s working. Other than the repeated stories, which is a little unusual. ### 4/5 — Why can’t I zoom images *2026-04-25, version 4.2.4* Great app but only News app I know of where you cannot zoom images. Not great if your eyesight is poor :-( ### 2/5 — Not fit for purpose *2026-04-10, version 4.2.4* This app is maddening and the state broadcaster has a responsibility to do better. It frequently crashes, the audio stops all the time even when it says it’s playing, the search function is a joke, as is the ‘now playing’ function which often bears no resemblance to scheduling, not to mention the screen lock bug mentioned in many other reviews. When was it last updated for god’s sake?! ### 2/5 — Font size and UX issues *2026-03-26, version 4.2.4* Good source of news, but the not size is way too small and not adjustable. It’s crazy this simple issue remains after all these years. Also you can touch the text of a story and it will jump to another story without reason. Boggles my mind that the developers don’t make the app more accessible. Better off using the website. ### 4/5 — Good updates *2025-12-29, version 4.2.2* What would make it even better is the option to increase font for app. Is that an option? ### 4/5 — Excellent ad free news *2025-12-28, version 4.2.2* Better than the any commercial nz news outlet ### 3/5 — Drops Apple HomePod connection *2025-12-20, version 4.2.2* Love the app and content, however I can’t play through the HomePods anymore. It connect then after a few seconds drops out. Have factory reset the HomePods multiple times to no avail. All other apps seem fine. Don’t know if this is a new bug? Not a huge issue but annoying. ### 4/5 — Please add Dynamic Type *2025-12-19, version 4.2.2* I love that you have added Dark Mode. This makes a big difference in reducing eye strain. So much nicer now to peruse the news at the end of the day. UPDATE: please consider supporting the Dynamic Type accessibility setting. The font in your news articles is very small. ### 2/5 — No image zoom *2025-12-18, version 4.2.2* Please please please let users select and zoom in on images within news articles. It is super frustrating not to be able to see details one couldn't see trivially on the website. ### 2/5 — Terrible App for those with visual impairments. *2025-11-10, version 4.2.2* In short, they’re basically excluding those users who have vision problems from using their App. Although the app does implement choices for light or dark modes, there is no way to enlarge the article text font size. This makes for one of the worst NA news content apps in the App Store. ### 3/5 — Mixed results *2025-10-08, version 4.2.1* Cuts out of term. Chews through battery even when no audio playing ### 4/5 — Customise notifications *2025-09-28, version 4.2.1* My go-to app when it comes to NZ news. However, I really wish notifications could be customised. I have no interest in sports news and yet there are so many notifications about that topic. It regularly makes me want to disable notifications or even uninstall the app. Very frustrating. ### 4/5 — Dynamic text size needed *2025-09-24, version 4.2.1* Awesome app, and content and use everyday. Though please add ability for dynamic text size to change. Reading glasses or using Safari are not options for quick headline updates. Thanks! ### 3/5 — Dark mode problem *2025-08-24, version 4.2.1* My initial excitement about dark mode has waned somewhat. It does not work with images of graphs. The legends are now black on black so impossible to read. Take a look at today's article on colonoscopies. The graphs are impossible to interpret. If the legends were in any colour other than black it would work. ### 3/5 — Good, but often takes you to a browser page *2025-07-31, version 4.2.0* I’ve had this as one of my main news apps for years now, primarily for NZ based news. Have noticed recently however that many articles simply have a one sentence summary followed by a ‘Read the article’ click link, that then takes you to a separate browser page. Why??? Please bring the articles back into the app! It’s gotten to the point where I won’t bother reading the story and will just move on. ### 2/5 — Too small on iPad *2025-06-08, version 4.1.0* I look at the RNZ on my phone everyday, but due to eyesight difficulties decided to put the app onto my iPad. However it is not designed for iPads and is too small. I will now delete it and use the website as before. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — The app developers wiped all my favourites!! *2026-08-15, version 4.3.1* This app is a disgrace! the people who designed it need to be held accountable. i've had years worth of saved interviews stored in the app but the app developers wiped everything in their latest update? Why? Also now you can't even enlarge the screen to see the photographs as that is jammed solid. Why? The app is actually quite hard to navigate when you are new to it. But I've used this app for several years now I am bitterly disappointed in what's happened. I suggest RNZ get rid of these incompetent developers and hire a new team because they have dropped the ball. It's an appalling update! ### 1/5 — Dynamic text size needed *2026-07-24, version 4.3* Awesome app, though can we just have a way to change text size, please asap, thank you! ### 1/5 — Notification spam *2026-06-11, version 4.2.4* I set my notification settings up to be breaking news only. It seems pretty much everything is classified as this, for example “is your predictive text getting worse? you’re not imagining it” doesn’t seem like breaking news. ### 1/5 — Unreliable at opening *2026-04-17, version 4.2.4* RNZ app will come up with error of “Something is wrong”. Pity ### 1/5 — Far too many notifications! *2026-03-10, version 4.2.4* I like RNZ for its reporting of news, but… please stop notifying us about everything and anything! My notifications are set to “Breaking news” and yet I am getting tens of notifications per day! I have tried other notification settings but it doesn’t seem to make any difference: still tens of notifications per day! Sadly, others have reported this same issue several years ago and, clearly, nothing has ever been done about it. 😕 I have been using the app for years but I am getting closer and closer to uninstalling it. Just fed up with all those useless notifications! ### 1/5 — Sick of the sensationalism and negativity. *2025-09-10, version 4.2.1* RNZ news I can do withoit ### 1/5 — Excessive ‘breaking news’ notifications, and more steps required to read an article *2025-06-28, version 4.1.1* An increasing number of articles now don’t support the app natively and require you to click ‘Read the article’ which opens an embedded web browser. This is frustrating. It’s also really annoying to get spammed with sports notifications that are categorised as ‘breaking news’ when I’ve specifically turned off notifications about sports. This app needs a real overhaul - RNZ’s site is good, but this app hasn’t kept up. ### 1/5 — Won’t open on IPhone 14 ios18.5 *2025-06-15, version 4.1.1* Closes after splash screen ### 1/5 — Doesn’t play in background *2025-06-04, version 4.1.0* Recent changes have meant that the app stops playing live audio when in the background, meaning it needs to be kept in the foreground to play - making it useless. I’ve gone back to the website in Safari. Uninstalling and reinstalling “fixes” this for a period of time, however the issues always comes back after some time. ### 1/5 — App problems *2025-05-01, version 4.1.0* Several times I attempt to read the news on my iPad but there are glitches on the sequence of the items and their format. Is the third time today that I have to delete and reinstall the app. The content is great ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Update deleted my queued list *2026-08-10, version 4.3.1* Been using the RNZ app for years, mainly for curating my own replay radio list from favourite shows on NatRad. Shocked to open the app this morning to find … nothing! Update on Friday last had wiped 70+ items from my “to listen” list, along with all my bookmarked shows. WTF? Boring commute to work followed, as I painstakingly re-selected stuff I wanted to hear. Better not be wiped again (might have to drop RNZ and listen to ZB … as-if) ### 5/5 — Awesome, but needs Dark Mode! *2025-08-06, version 4.2.0* Does what it says on the tin, delivers great relevant news. My only wish would be for a Dark Mode, which would help reading it at night, easier on the eyes 🤓 UPDATE: It now has Dark Mode, yay!! ### 5/5 — Thankyou for Dark Mode *2025-08-06, version 4.2.0* I love that you have added Dark Mode. This makes a big difference in reducing eye strain. So much nicer now to peruse the news at the end of the day. ### 5/5 — Almost perfect - dark mode please!! *2025-05-11, version 4.1.0* This is the only app I frequently keep running overnight but has no dark mode so that’s my one and only ask. Fantastic app, good solid and serious news source without spin - it’s wonderful to keep up with news from home and globally without having to resort to the Stuff website or to try and navigate the Murdoch media minefield here in Aus. High quality educational and entertainment shows and podcasts, an absolute treasure trove of deep dive music material. I love this app and can’t recommend it enough ### 5/5 — Good content *2024-10-12, version 4.0.0* Good content with a better balance than other NZ news websites. Covers important local news not on other sites. ### 5/5 — Awesome, but needs Dark Mode! *2024-08-02, version 3.4.3* Does what it says on the tin, delivers great relevant news. My only wish would be for a Dark Mode, which would help reading it at night, easier on the eyes 🤓 ### 5/5 — great station *2024-05-14, version 3.4.2* as someone who loves international broadcasting, like to know what else is going on with the world besides us news ### 5/5 — Excellent *2023-07-30, version 3.4* Excellent institution, excellent app. Somehow captures all the stuff these wonderful people do! ### 5/5 — The best. But… *2022-10-16, version 3.4* Just yesterday it stopped playing when you leave the app or the screen locks 😕 Help! Apart from that this is a dream app!! ### 5/5 — Dark mode? *2022-09-04, version 3.4* This app is great, the only thing it’s missing is dark mode! --- *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.*