# Spotlight News — Take control of your news feed

> Personalized news aggregator focusing on local and overlooked stories. (iPhone/iPad app by Spotlight Media Labs, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotlight-news/id1291820344 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Spotlight Media Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1365725559)
- Category: News, Magazines & Newspapers
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 120 App Store ratings · 14 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 16.1 · 38 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-03-14
- Data updated: 2026-08-20
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotlight-news/id1291820344/reviews.md

## What is Spotlight News?

Spotlight puts the stories you actually care about—local, authentic, and often overlooked—at the center of your news feed.
With access to college newspapers, local newsrooms, and top national outlets, Spotlight delivers journalism you won’t find anywhere else.

Built entirely around your interests, Spotlight cuts out the noise.
No clickbait. No paywalls. Just meaningful updates on the people, places, and ideas that matter to you.

It’s time for a smarter way to stay informed. Welcome to Spotlight.

Spotlight is a free, easy-to-use app with features including:

  • Access to college newsroom reporting

  • Local newspaper coverage tailored to you

  • The latest stories from national sources

  • A personalized feed built around your topics that you pick

Spotlight also uses your location to bring you news from nearby publishers. You can control this feature in your app settings.

• Terms of use: https://spotlightnews.us/terms

## Key features

- Access college newsroom reporting
- Tailored local newspaper coverage
- Latest stories from national sources
- Personalized feed based on selected topics
- Location-based news from nearby publishers

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium+ | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium+ Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Annual Student | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Student | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium+ Ad-Free | $13.99 | per month |
| Premium+ Ad-Free Year Student | $69.99 | per year |
| Ad-Free Year | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Ad-Free Year | $139.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Ad-Free Student | $6.99 | per month |
| Ad-Free | $3.99 | per month |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 14)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotlight-news/id1291820344/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great app for students!

*2025-11-10, version 2.15.4*

Spotlight News is the absolute best app for staying up to date on the news, especially as a Gen Z reader. They really understand what my generation wants!

### 1/5 — How do you set up account or log in?

*2023-04-18, version 2.13.6*

After logging in with Apple ID on the website I was able to get in, but app is non-functional. If accessing through browser, I can tap “Access through the Spotlight app” but that just results in “Spotlight News” with a spinning logo on a green background, interspersed with a pop-up “Login Failed -1001” box. Now I have a headache…

### 5/5 — Great News Site

*2023-01-01, version 2.13.5*

This site is perfect for keeping up with all the news. I am interested in. It really does a great job and just finding the things I’m interested in.

### 5/5 — Hi! New bug *updated*

*2022-11-25, version 2.13.5*

*only rating this one star so developer will notice* I just updated the app and now when I open the app it is the start page when you first download the app. When I try to press next it immediately crashes. Thanks for making a cool app! I hope this bug is fixed soon so I can continue using it.

Update:
App is working now.  Thank you!!

### 5/5 — Spotlight News

*2022-10-21*

I’ve had the Spotlight news app for a week and I find I’ve been reading more articles everyday. I check it in the morning and at night. Thank you for making a great app!

### 5/5 — 1 for reading about your favorite University or College++

*2022-01-29, version 2.10.5*

All your favorite content in one place. Looking for your local, regional, national or world news. Want to read your favorite magazine or the latest financial. But what I most enjoyed was that I could follow all of my kids school news from one place, in real time!

### 5/5 — Sleek news app

*2020-03-13, version 2.4*

Simple and sleek app that offers many local and college papers conveniently. Their “Interests” feature is really nice and allows me to focus on articles that I prefer to see. Their content catalog always seems to be expanding too.

### 1/5 — Almost useless

*2018-08-04, version 1.1.1*

No matter which publishers I follow or not, I see almost everything in my feed. I only want to see the Daily Collegian (Penn State student newspaper) yet I see stuff about Auburn, the Mets, etc. If not fixed in the next release I’m deleting this app and using the Collegian web site instead.

### 1/5 — Collegian destroyed

*2018-07-23, version 1.1*

Sadly, one could decide what one wanted to read in the previous app. Maybe real news but what someone else has decided I should read.

### 3/5 — Needs horizontal in addition to vertical display.

*2018-05-24, version 1.0.7*

A basic functionality!

## Frequently asked questions about Spotlight News

### What does Spotlight News do?

Spotlight News is a news aggregator that focuses on delivering local, authentic, and often overlooked stories. It provides access to journalism from college newspapers, local newsrooms, and national outlets, cutting out clickbait and paywalls to create a personalized news feed based on your interests.

### What are the key features of Spotlight News?

Key features include access to college newsroom reporting, local newspaper coverage tailored to your interests, the latest stories from national sources, and a personalized feed built around topics you select. It also uses your location to provide news from nearby publishers.

### Is Spotlight News free to use?

Yes, Spotlight News is a free app. While the app itself is free to download and use, it does mention having in-app purchases and ads, indicating a 'free with in-app purchases' monetization model.

### How does Spotlight News personalize my news feed?

The app builds your news feed entirely around your interests. You can pick the topics that matter to you, and the app will prioritize stories related to those interests, along with local news based on your location, to cut out irrelevant content.

### What kind of news sources does Spotlight News include?

Spotlight News includes a diverse range of sources such as college newspapers, local newsrooms, and top national outlets. This variety ensures you get access to journalism that might not be readily available through other platforms.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.15.10 — 2026-08-19

At Spotlight, we aim to put the spotlight on your news.
In this release,
Fixed issue when using Sign in with Appel, and Sign in with Google.
General usability, user interface, performance, and stability improvements.

### 2.15.9 — 2026-05-22

At Spotlight, we aim to put the spotlight on your news.
In this release,
Fixed an issue with iOS 26.
General usability, user interface, performance, and stability improvements.

### 2.15.8 — 2026-04-06

At Spotlight, we aim to put the spotlight on your news.
In this release,
Improvements to the Ambassador program.
Fixed a discrepancy with the required password length.
Fixed an issue with requesting a password reset.
General usability, user interface, performance, and stability improvements.

### 2.15.7 — 2026-03-12

At Spotlight, we aim to put the spotlight on your news.
In this release,
Fixed several issues with the signup and sign in workflows.
Fixed several Accessibility issues.
Fixed issue where changing the notification setting on a feed could fail.
Fixed an issue with Download History that could lead to a crash.
Fixed an issue with Download History that could prevent viewing the previously downloaded article.
General usability, user interface, performance, and stability improvements.

### 2.15.6 — 2026-02-01

At Spotlight, we aim to put the spotlight on your news.
In this release,
Fixed several issues with the signup and sign in workflows.
Fixed several other navigation issues around viewing articles.
General usability, user interface, performance, and stability improvements.

## Apps similar to Spotlight News

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Daily Sentinel Media](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-sentinel-media/id6479016871) | 2.8 (4) | Free | News |
| [Anewsy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anewsy/id6447219601) | 5.0 (3) | Free | News |
| [Student News Source](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/student-news-source/id1463449523) | 4.3 (7) | Free | News |
| [YTV America](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ytv-america/id6447645542) | 5.0 (3) | Free | News |
| [DeepNewz - Personalized News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deepnewz-personalized-news/id6503891042) | 4.8 (21) | Free | News |

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*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 2026-08-20.*