# WDBJ7 News

> Local news and sports updates for Roanoke and surrounding Virginia areas. (iPhone/iPad app by Gray Television Group, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wdbj7-news/id1102844876 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Gray Television Group, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/416888140)
- Category: News, Weather
- Price: Free
- Rating: 2.80/5 from 238 App Store ratings · 83 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 80 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-04-18
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: ad-supported
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wdbj7-news/id1102844876/reviews.md

## What is WDBJ7 News?

The news experience you've been waiting for is here for Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville, Blacksburg, Martinsville, Lexington, Christiansburg and more! 

Catch the latest news, and sports wherever you go with the WDBJ / WDBJ7 Local News application. These apps take the best features from WDBJ7 newscasts at www.wdbj7.com and  rolls them into an experience that is a must on your mobile device. It makes viewing and sharing news easy.

## Key features

- Latest news updates
- Sports coverage
- Easy viewing
- Easy sharing
- Local focus

## What do users think of WDBJ7 News?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Good for local news alerts

**Cons**

- 😠 Excessive ads and video ads
- 😠 Autoplay ads with sound
- 😠 Annoying ads upon opening
- 😠 Tracking and data sale prompts
- 😠 Outdated or incomplete stories
- 😠 Poor app organization
- 😠 Difficult navigation
- 😠 App crashes frequently
- 😠 App freezes or lags
- 😠 Unwanted notifications
- 😠 No option to turn off tracking
- 😠 Removed sharing feature
- 😠 Biased content
- 😠 Inconsistent on-demand service
- 😠 App icon shows unread count
- 😠 Tapping pictures shows ads, not video
- 😠 Ads block content
- 😠 Auto-play ads are loud
- 😠 Too many screens to navigate
- 😠 Ads show up first
- 😠 Notification number remains on home screen
- 😠 Too many ads and commercials
- 😠 Poor on-demand service
- 😠 Laggy news reports
- 😠 Plays same news repeatedly
- 😠 App doesn't work
- 😠 Crashes upon opening
- 😠 Unacceptable video ads for breaking news
- 😠 Location required to open app
- 😠 Misleading headlines (e.g., 'WATCH' but only ads)
- 😠 Pop-up ads with audio
- 😠 App constantly shuts down
- 😠 Forced pop-up ads
- 😠 Rarely updated with actual news
- 😠 Political ads
- 😠 Update went wrong, app unusable
- 😠 Glitches and too many ads
- 😠 Spam ads
- 😠 Too many pop-ups
- 😠 Politically motivated content
- 😠 No listing for school closings
- 😠 Hate commercials for each story
- 😠 Spam ads for gift cards
- 😠 Old stories with grammar issues
- 😠 No upcoming week weather
- 😠 No weather warnings/advisories
- 😠 Ads kill data
- 😠 Can't edit locations
- 😠 New app doesn't open
- 😠 Ads interrupt stories
- 😠 Have to log into Facebook for more stories
- 😠 No search for stories
- 😠 No U.S. and world news
- 😠 Search feature not working
- 😠 Amateurish design
- 😠 Obnoxious alert sound

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes upon opening
- App freezes or lags
- App icon shows unread count
- Notification number remains on home screen
- App constantly shuts down
- App doesn't load or work
- App doesn't open
- Search feature not working
- Cannot edit locations
- App cuts off without notice
- Advertisement won't load
- App not updated with current news
- No weather warnings or advisories shown
- Live stream not available after commercial
- Location required to open app
- On-demand service issues
- App shows same story for days

**Most requested features**

- Option to turn off tracking
- Option to turn off sound for ads
- Revert to old app version
- Add back article sharing feature
- Improve app organization
- Make app more user-friendly
- Fix notification badge issue
- Provide more local stories on homepage
- Allow users to turn off auto-play ads
- Make ads less intrusive
- Allow users to control ad volume
- Improve search functionality
- Include U.S. and world news
- Allow filtering of news by type or locality
- Provide email address for story feedback

## Recent user reviews (10 of 83)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wdbj7-news/id1102844876/reviews.md

### 1/5 — App has too many ads.

*2026-07-05, version 3.0.6*

The ads are ridiculous.

### 1/5 — Changes to app annoying

*2026-06-26, version 3.0.6*

Do not like recent changes to the app. I want to read the news not listen to ads and then a broadcast. If I wanted to watch the news I would turn on the tv. Poor decision making in these changes.

### 1/5 — No option to turn off tracking?

*2026-05-19, version 3.0.4*

had it on my phone for years until tonight when I login and it forces me to choose to allow tracking and sale of my information. There’s no other option to proceed forward so, goodbye WDBJ7. You can go the way of CBS for all I care. *deleted*

### 1/5 — No more Sharing articles

*2026-04-02, version 3.0.2*

I’m not sure why they took the share this article away but my husband and I do not like it. He always read all the new articles and sent me what knew I’d be interested in. That’s not an option anymore. So now he only sends me articles from #NewsMax and #wftv.com. I thought the share option would help promote the app and wdbj. I often sent articles to different family members and even posted some on FB. I feel it was a bad PR move.

### 1/5 — Bad add

*2026-04-01, version 3.0.2*

I don’t like the add that comes up and you have to bypass when first accessing. It’s enough to make me switch to channel 10

### 1/5 — Can no longer forward articles.

*2026-03-18, version 3.0.2*

Used to be able to forward articles

### 2/5 — What did you do?!

*2026-03-14, version 3.0.2*

1-app icon always shows I have something unread no matter what I do. 2-dislike tapping picture in a story and only get ads instead of actual video on that story. Newest app not user friendly in my opinion

### 1/5 — If this is an update, it isn’t good.

*2026-03-12, version 3.0.2*

The old app was just fine. This one is too busy looking. Too many screens to jump around for the news.

### 1/5 — Terrible app

*2026-03-10, version 3.0.1*

Ads show up first, then I get a prompt to continue to the app, when I am already on the app.  I did not have any trouble with the app before.

### 2/5 — Update?

*2026-03-09, version 3.0.1*

I do NOT like the latest version - it was perfect before…☹️

## Frequently asked questions about WDBJ7 News

### What kind of news does this app provide?

This app provides the latest local news and sports updates. It focuses on delivering information from WDBJ7 newscasts to your mobile device.

### What are the key features of the app?

Key features include access to the latest news and sports, an easy viewing experience, and simple sharing capabilities. It aims to bring the best of WDBJ7's newscasts to your mobile.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the app is free to use. However, it does display advertisements as part of its monetization model.

### Which areas does this app cover?

The app covers news for Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville, Blacksburg, Martinsville, Lexington, Christiansburg, and other surrounding areas.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.0.7 — 2026-07-16

Improvements to the video player, including addressing a crash caused when using video controls

### 3.0.6 — 2026-06-16

Improved how images display in stories and on the home screen.
Fixed an issue where sharing a story was not working on some devices.
Video playlists now display all videos correctly
Improved video playback reliability.
General bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 3.0.5 — 2026-06-09

Improved how images display in stories and on the home screen.
Fixed an issue where sharing a story was not working on some devices.
Video playlists now display all videos correctly
Improved video playback reliability.

### 3.0.4 — 2026-05-14

Improved how images display in stories and on the home screen.
Fixed an issue where sharing a story was not working on some devices.
Video playlists now display all videos correctly
Improved video playback reliability.

### 3.0.3 — 2026-04-06

Corrected the look of splash screen images
Added support for some embeds in stories
Addressed issues with some images being cut off in stories
Addressed issue causing users to not be able to share stories

## Apps similar to WDBJ7 News

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [News 5 WCYB.com Mobile](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/news-5-wcybcom-mobile/id489854096) | 4.7 (257) | Free | News |
| [Cardinal News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardinal-news/id6474056180) | 5.0 (6) | Free | News |
| [WFXR News Roanoke Lynchburg](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wfxr-news-roanoke-lynchburg/id999982714) | 4.7 (452) | Free | News |
| [The Roanoke Times](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-roanoke-times/id923916882) | 4.4 (448) | Free | News |
| [WSET ABC 13](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wset-abc-13/id396908145) | 4.8 (256) | Free | News |
| [WSLS 10 News - Roanoke](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wsls-10-news-roanoke/id1226206132) | 4.7 (4,115) | Free | News |

## More apps by Gray Television Group, Inc.

- [13 Action News](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/13-action-news/id335508679)
- [FOX12 Weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fox12-weather/id373826160)
- [WAND WX](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wand-wx/id379057710)
- [WYMT First Alert Weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wymt-first-alert-weather/id379489872)
- [WKYT FirstAlert Weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wkyt-firstalert-weather/id380337429)
- [KFDA Amarillo - NewsChannel 10](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kfda-amarillo-newschannel-10/id385920496)

All apps by Gray Television Group, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/416888140

## Related topics

[wdbj7 news](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wdbj7-news) · [wdbj7](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wdbj7) · [roanoke](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/roanoke) · [wdbj7 weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wdbj7-weather)

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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 2026-08-26.*