# The Mercury News for Mobile

> Personalized news reader with saved articles, custom notifications, and digital newspaper replica. (iPhone/iPad app by MediaNews Group.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-mercury-news-for-mobile/id479955259 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [MediaNews Group](https://appshunter.io/developer/364357227)
- Category: News, Sports
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 866 App Store ratings · 81 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 188 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2011-11-24
- Data updated: 2026-09-07
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-mercury-news-for-mobile/id479955259/reviews.md

## What is The Mercury News for Mobile?

To continue enjoying our app, we kindly request that you log in again after this update.

If you're a subscriber, please take a moment to restore your account to ensure uninterrupted access. You can find the “Restore Subscriptions“ button in Settings under Subscriptions.

Welcome to a new app experience, we have optimized our app and giving it a facelift! This faster iOS native app now has the following new features:

Your News:
Provide personalized recommendations for content based on user preferences. Users will be allowed to customize the content they want to engage with by selecting the topics they are truly interested in. By going to the “Your News” tab the user can bypass the noise of all that is published and home in on the content they want

Saved Articles:
Save feature that allows users to save articles or other content they are interested in for later reading or reference.Push notifications will remind users to read their saved articles or suggest related content

Custom Push Notifications:
The user can select what topics they want to be notified about which makes for a much less intrusive experience. 

Top Navigation Bar:
 A top navigation bar lets the user switch between sections by swiping or tapping.

Enews in-app:
Desire the newspaper experience? No need to open a separate app! By simply going to Settings and selecting E-News the user can browse the Digital Replica of the day’s paper.

Offline Reading:
This feature allows users to enable offline reading from Settings. Offline “Reading Preferences” can also be customized for Settings. 

Swipe Left:
Instead of going back to the main section to find more articles, users have the option to simply swipe, immediately opening other articles in the Section.

Follow Topics:
A user will be shown articles on topics they are following. To follow select “follow” at the article level and related articles will gain relevancy and be shown more frequently. Just as easily “Unfollow”

Terms of Use:
https://www.medianewsgroup.com/terms-of-use/
https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Personalized news recommendations
- Save articles for later reading
- Customizable push notifications
- Digital newspaper replica (E-News)
- Offline reading capabilities
- Follow and unfollow topics
- Swipe for next article

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mercury News Annual Subs | $139.99 | per year |
| Mercury News Monthly Subs | $11.99 | per month |


## Chart rankings

- #179 in Top Grossing · News (US App Store)

## What do users think of The Mercury News for Mobile?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Enjoyable reading experience
- 📰 Keeps users informed
- 🗞️ Supports local news

**Cons**

- 🐛 Buggy and unstable app
- 🔍 Poor search and navigation
- 🔒 Login and account issues
- 💰 Subscription and billing problems
- 📱 Subpar mobile experience

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Inconsistent login and access
- Unreliable content updates
- Compatibility issues on tablets

**Most requested features**

- Restore previous app version
- Improve layout and readability
- Add landscape mode support
- Enhance search and browsing
- Streamline subscription management

## Recent user reviews (10 of 81)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-mercury-news-for-mobile/id479955259/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Indispensable

*2026-08-14*

Must read for longtime Silicon Valley residents

### 3/5 — Love the Merc but…

*2025-12-05*

I read the Mercury every day, and so much want to support local news sources, but the e-edition is cumbersome to navigate. Not intuitive at all

### 5/5 — John David Tech10

*2025-11-27*

Love the news. By SJ Mercury keeps me informed! Thank You!

### 5/5 — Enjoying reading on my phone

*2025-08-09*

We have a daily subscription for the Mercury News under my husband‘s name but sometimes I like to read the news on my cell phone even though I have a hard copy. I do enjoy the Local Section, Sal’s report, Thursday’s Weekend section, Eat and Play on Sundays and just receiving the news on a regular basis.

### 1/5 — Update?

*2025-07-24*

The app was working fine until this morning, when it forced an update.  Now it won’t load.  Can we go back to the previous version?

### 1/5 — Too many push notifications I didn’t ask for

*2025-07-08*

After downloading this app I was pleasantly surprised that I could include notifications for the local news only. After couple of days these “local” notifications randomly changed into Top SECOND HAND News about everything in the world. Suggestion to developers of the app. This is MERC, a SJC newspaper. Make it possible to select and receive notifications relevant to SJC.

### 4/5 — Great paper

*2025-05-16*

Love the journalism. Hate the app forcing me to update. Just let the app update like every other app, don’t give me a dialog box forcing me to go to the App Store to update.

### 3/5 — Article text size cannot be adjusted

*2024-10-05*

Defective.

### 5/5 — Total dissatisfaction. I was duped into subscription

*2024-06-19, version 10.0.14*

I saw the offer which was an interesting one $12.00 for two years. Very interesting that I can’t read articles unless I I get a free 30 day trial (?) I am a senior with limited computer knowledge. My complaint is that I can’t find a way to communicate with them to ask them what is going on.  
So I subscribe for two years and the only thing I’m getting from the subscription is two years of notifications telling me that I have read my allotment? Can someone please explain? I need help but there’s no place to navigate to for assistance or cancellations.

### 1/5 — Bring Back Landscape Orientation!

*2024-03-11*

The decision to remove landscape orientation (for no apparent reason) was a mistake. Maybe at least tell us why this was necessary? I use Apple’s Magic Keyboard and that works only in landscape orientation. To use the SJMN app now, I have to disconnect from power, hold the tablet in my hands, and do without the keyboard. This is a bummer!

## Frequently asked questions about The Mercury News for Mobile

### What does the app do?

This app provides a personalized news reading experience. It offers features like customized content recommendations based on your interests, the ability to save articles for later, and control over push notifications. You can also access a digital replica of the daily newspaper directly within the app.

### How can I customize my news feed?

You can personalize your news feed through the 'Your News' tab. Here, you can select specific topics you are interested in to bypass general news and focus on content relevant to you. Additionally, you can 'Follow' topics at the article level, and related articles will appear more frequently.

### Is there a cost to use the app?

The app is available for free download and use. However, as a subscriber, you may need to log in again after an update and restore your subscription through the 'Settings' menu to ensure uninterrupted access to premium content.

### Can I read articles offline?

Yes, the app supports offline reading. You can enable this feature in the 'Settings' menu and customize your offline reading preferences. This allows you to access saved articles or downloaded content even without an internet connection.

### What is the E-News feature?

The E-News feature provides a digital replica of the day's newspaper directly within the app. You can browse the entire paper as you would a physical copy, offering a familiar newspaper experience without needing a separate application.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 10.0.60 — 2026-08-20

Enhanced Audio Controls: Refreshed audio player interface above the navigation bar, improved notification controls, and fixed disappearing player controls.

Dynamic Island Integration: Added support for Dynamic Island audio playback and updates on supported devices.

Expanded Home Screen Widgets: New and expanded widget options for quicker access to news directly from your Home Screen.

Resolved an authentication bug that prevented login via Facebook.

Bugs and maintenance

### 10.0.59 — 2026-07-02

Added in-app audio player
Bug fixes and maintenance

### 10.0.58 — 2026-06-09

Support for World Cup content
Bug fixes and maintenance

### 10.0.56 — 2026-05-12

Bug Fixes and Maintenance

### 10.0.54 — 2026-04-14

Bug Fixes and Maintenance

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## More apps by MediaNews Group

- [OCRegister](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ocregister/id380372599)
- [Bay Area News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bay-area-news/id407305856)
- [The Mercury News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-mercury-news/id429774201)
- [East Bay Times](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/east-bay-times/id429780888)
- [Marin Independent Journal](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/marin-independent-journal/id461505795)
- [Santa Cruz Sentinel](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santa-cruz-sentinel/id461523626)

All apps by MediaNews Group: https://appshunter.io/developer/364357227

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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 2026-09-07.*