# The State News: South Carolina — user reviews > 61 indexed App Store user reviews of The State News by The McClatchy Company, rated 4.40/5 from 2,386 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-state-news-south-carolina/id511921363/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-state-news-south-carolina/id511921363.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,583 · 4★ 502 · 3★ 136 · 2★ 47 · 1★ 118 ## What do users think of The State News? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🌟 Excellent hometown paper - 📰 Reliable, concise, and balanced news coverage **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues - 📱 Poor app performance and user experience - 🔍 Outdated and delayed news content - 💰 Excessive ads and paywalls for paid subscribers **Commonly reported bugs** - Articles not opening properly - Login issues and frequent sign-outs - Inability to control text size and layout **Most requested features** - Restore newspaper-like layout for e-edition - Improve push notification functionality - Add more local and in-depth content - Optimize app for better usability on tablets ## Newest reviews (15 of 61) ### 2/5 — Keeps clocking trying to open articals *2025-02-08, version 10.0.6* Over half of the download keeps clocking. Eventually if I go back they show up. Click on some news articles and the app crashes. Deleted app and reinstalled on iPad and still same issues. It is also getting to where most articles are 2 or more days behind the local or national news on tv. ### 2/5 — New layout for e-edition… *2024-06-21, version 10.0.3* is a step back. I like the e-edition to have the layout of a “newspaper.” I called a rep and long story short, she said it would have that newspaper layout on days the paper is actually printed; Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Hasn’t happened. ### 2/5 — Frustrating *2022-01-23, version 9.1.5* I deleted and re-download the app hoping it would help, but it doesn’t. As a digital subscriber, I opted to first see the updated news, and click on to the e-edition. My Home Screen repeatedly pops up “error fetching feeds”, and “pull to refresh”. What does that even mean? ### 2/5 — Works ok but too many ads *2022-01-03, version 9.1.5* I had a paid subscription to the paper but was still bombarded with advertisements while using the app to include full screen ads. App crashes intermittently and sends tons of data out while using. Would suggest they quit trying to monetize paying subscribers the app, real turn off. ### 1/5 — App keeps crashing on startup. *2021-08-19, version 9.1* Please fix. ### 1/5 — Crash! *2021-08-19, version 9.1* Completely unstable crashing at launch consistently since Aug 17. ### 3/5 — Print problems *2021-08-15, version 9.1* The right hand sides of the “Jumble”, the daily “Sudoku” and the “Seven Little Words” are cropped. The puzzles should be centered. Also, why can’t the puzzle sizes be controlled? The device for selecting text size has no effect. Please adjust. ### 1/5 — Review *2021-06-22, version 8.1.0* Going to delete this app due to constant subscription requests & teasing me with partial headlines before asking me to pay for this so called news app. Good bye ### 1/5 — Do not like *2021-06-17, version 8.1.0* We’ve been subscribers for years this new format is NOT what I want to see when I open the edition. ### 1/5 — Lousy App *2021-05-09, version 8.1.0* This app crashes frequently. The news content is often several days old and no longer accurate, and you are limited in the amount of free content you can read before being asked to purchase a subscription. As a lifelong resident of Columbia, SC, and a former subscriber to The State, I still enjoy reading the publication, but only minimally slow. The State is not the publication it used to be. And here’s a news flash for The State: People don’t have to pay for news anymore. ### 1/5 — Disappointing *2021-02-06, version 8.0.0* I am sick of clicking on news stories that then require a subscription to be able to read the remainder of the article . You have made the paper to expensive to take and provide less that an enjoyable experience online . ### 1/5 — Crashes *2020-09-29, version 7.9.3* New app does not work on able to load some storage and then crashes Eedition absolute no longer available on Apple store ### 2/5 — Can not turn off background refresh *2020-07-08, version 7.9.0* Content is good. App is not so good. There is no obvious way to turn off background refresh. Background refresh stays on even when the global setting is turned off! This will drain your battery. If you want to check it out for yourself, go to settings, then battery, and look at the activity report. This app is always in the top 2 or 3 for battery usage. I will probably cancel my subscription when the annual renewal comes up because of this issue. ### 1/5 — Terrible sign on. *2020-05-29, version 7.8.0* Very hard to sign on every time.. ### 1/5 — Forced Notifications *2020-02-27, version 7.6.0* Should be able to choose Breaking News notification alerts only, not “DINNER PLANS? - this vegan cafe is back” (actual “Breaking News” notification) ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Going downhill *2026-03-11, version 11.1.0* Too little local news. ### 1/5 — Bad update means app is no longer compatible with iPad *2026-02-23, version 10.4.0* Bad update. Wait before using they have some bugs to fix. ### 1/5 — Digital Update? *2024-06-13* The only days the app will display a “newspaper” e-edition image is on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays? Is that a good guess? And that’s because those are the days it is being printed? I’m sure I’m not the only one that is disappointed with this “update.” I chose the newspaper layout in settings, but of course, it doesn’t work. **Developer response:** Please delete and reinstall the app version 9.1.3 this should correct the issue. ### 1/5 — The worst app ever created by humankind *2023-11-02* Push alerts absolutely do not bring you the article referenced. let me put it more clearly, the push alert feature is abysmal. I swear to God, I have never seen an app this poorly developed. For God’s sake, you can’t hire somebody who knows how to develop information technology applications? **Developer response:** Update the app to the latest version 9.1.6. ### 1/5 — the state *2023-01-02, version 9.1.8* this is the worst ap ever. you can’t change the size, too small to read. Don’t bother trying ### 1/5 — Push Alerts Do Not Work! *2022-07-25* I wouldn’t be so critical except that this problem has been going on for years. You get a push alert, you tap it, and you don’t get the push alert story! I’m deleting this app. It’s worthless. Now the newspaper wants to charge you $70 bucks per month for this crap. This is outrageous. **Developer response:** Update the app to the latest version 9.1.6. ### 1/5 — Broke *2021-12-29, version 9.1.5* This app has not been fixed since it came to market. The app simply doesn’t work even after updates. ### 1/5 — Sorry excuse for a newspaper *2021-10-30, version 9.1.3* App is awful. News is two days late in print. Little useful, in-depth content. Last chance. ### 1/5 — Error Fetching Feeds *2021-10-22, version 9.1.3* I get this error if I turn on the iCloud Private Relay function in IOS 15. Works fine otherwise. ### 1/5 — Keeps telling me to update to new version *2021-08-26, version 9.1.3* But there is no new version! Keeps sending me to Island Packet! Unacceptable bug for a paid product. F - - - ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — We’ve got a winner! *2026-03-29, version 11.1.0* A GREAT CITY deserves a GREAT Newspaper! South Carolinians are lucky, we have The State! ### 5/5 — The worst app ever created by humankind *2024-07-02, version 10.0.3* You get the same headlines three days in a row. App is not updated. I’m a paid subscriber. I am canceling my subscription. This is a horrible app supporting a horrible “newspaper”. This offering is unfathomable! Finally, if you expect push alerts to take you to the headlined story, you are mistaken. The IT people operating the news content at The State Newspaper are not paying attention, or they are incompetent. by the way, this is an ongoing problem of several years duration. ### 5/5 — Excellent app *2023-02-27, version 9.1.8* Very grateful for the app though I don’t pay for a subscription. Why you ask? Same articles are free elsewhere. ### 5/5 — Simply the Best Resource for Accuracy, Most Unbiased *2020-01-08, version 7.5.0* Reliable, Concise, Balanced and Complete ### 5/5 — Update Causes Crash *2019-11-29, version 7.4.1* Recent update has made app unusable. Crashes every time it opens. Since you are going more and more to online paper, please continue to make the online version more user friendly. Particularly the e-edition. ### 5/5 — Good hometown paper. *2018-12-02, version 7.1.3* I moved from Columbia in 1993. I use The State to stay in touch with my hometown. ### 5/5 — Review *2018-07-31, version 7.0.1* Best news report in the country. ### 4/5 — Motormouth article *2025-06-30, version 10.0.8* Motormouth article will not open in the app. ### 4/5 — 2 stars *2017-10-22* The "Edit" function does not work. There used to be a "Print" version but it is not available. Poor design. You guys can do better ! Ask Arial for his input. Creativity is needed. Not good. Why not use the Wall Street Journal app as your template? Even The NY Times app. Sorry to be harsh but you asked! ### 3/5 — Room for Improvement *2026-04-06, version 11.1.0* I started reading The State over 50 years ago and I’m glad to see it survive the transition to digital. But the skimpy local coverage is disappointing, and I am frustrated that sections like Business and Local have 4-6 month old articles it the top of the feed. --- *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 2026-09-04.*