# WFLA News Channel 8 - Tampa FL — user reviews > 87 indexed App Store user reviews of WFLA News Channel 8 by Media General, rated 4.70/5 from 10,944 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wfla-news-channel-8-tampa-fl/id567655039/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wfla-news-channel-8-tampa-fl/id567655039.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 8,773 · 4★ 1,348 · 3★ 423 · 2★ 136 · 1★ 264 ## What do users think of WFLA News Channel 8? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 🚀 Best Alerts - 👍 Awesome - 👍 My best news app - 👍 News Reporting - 👍 Outstanding - 👍 Great app **Cons** - 🐛 Annoying - 🐛 Trapped in ads! - 🐛 Unusable - 🐛 Fix this! - 🐛 Smut news - 🐛 New update - 🐛 Terrible large type since update - 🐛 Stuck - 🐛 Ads dominate - 🐛 Relentless Ads - 🐛 This app is terrible! - 🐛 Swipe to go back - 🐛 Tiny print - 🐛 Too many ads - 🐛 The app keeps cutting out - 🐛 The app is terrible. The channel is great - 🐛 Just remove it - 🐛 Too many advertisements!! - 🐛 Radar - 🐛 Not the best - 🐛 Update is horrid. - 🐛 Newest update ruined the app - 🐛 Redesign is AWFUL - 🐛 ADS are beyond reasonable - 🐛 Cumbersome - 🐛 Terrible app - 🐛 Hate the ads - 🐛 News with a political bias - 🐛 Bad Alerts - 🐛 Complaints - 🐛 App Not On My Side - 🐛 Totally biased station - 🐛 Not the best - 🐛 Crashes every time - 🐛 Used to be a good app - 🐛 Buggy & Not Helpful - 🐛 Good riddance to bad rubbish! - 🐛 App crashes - 🐛 Crashes every time on my iPhone XS - 🐛 Why can't I search for a story? - 🐛 It hardly works - 🐛 Ads block stories **Commonly reported bugs** - Login screen freezes - Incompatible with older devices **Most requested features** - Nvidia Shield TV or Apple TV - Dark mode option - Advanced analytics dashboard ## Newest reviews (19 of 87) ### 3/5 — Could improve *2026-08-01, version 509.0.0* App doesn't show as much older news as other local news apps. You have to create an account to watch live news broadcast. I'll use another app to watch there's. ### 3/5 — Trapped in ads! *2024-06-12, version 500.4.0* How dare I watch a news video fullscreen?! I paid my dues watching a garbage ad at the beginning, then the video played, with full player support, cast to device, mute, playback controls... Then the article was finished, but were they? NO! Here's a second advertisement at the end, and NO PLAYBACK CONTROLS! NO fullscreen, NO mute, NO playback controls or even an X! Just "Learn More" and nothing to do but either 1. Watch another advertisement until control is restored. OR 2. Force-quit the offensive over-advertising application. I won't be doing THAT much longer before my resolution is to REMOVE THIS APP. ### 4/5 — Weather *2024-06-08, version 500.4.0* For the love of God don’t put ads in the weather. I’m scared because weather is coming at me & not going to buy a pizza. Hurricane 2018. ### 2/5 — New update *2024-02-15, version 500.1.1* For some reason when I get notified about something with the app on my iPhone it only brings me to a screen that has me select what I want notifications on and location. Even when I put it in it stays on that page. I am no longer able to bring up the news story from the notification. I have never had this issues before and have deleted the App and added it back, still nothing… ### 1/5 — Ads dominate *2023-08-16, version 41.20.0* Pop up ads cover up the news and weather. Used to be the best news and weather app for Tampa Bay, now dumbed down and completely ruined by ads. Baynews 9 now much better. ### 1/5 — J *2023-03-19, version 41.17.1* The only reason this app gets one star is because I cannot give it a zero. ### 1/5 — Relentless Ads *2022-12-16, version 41.15.0* Today, I deleted this app due to Frustration with the frequency and placement of ads which relentlessly interrupt content. ### 1/5 — This app is terrible! *2022-09-29, version 41.13.0* During hurricane Ian, which I am in now, with no power, and I can write this review, this app did not work at all! I wanted to see live coverage of what was going on. But they are so concerned with their advertisers getting their moment, it clogged the necessary news I needed! Do not get a his app if you are in an emergency. ### 2/5 — Swipe to go back *2022-07-06, version 41.10.1* The recent update removed the swipe back gesture to return to the main page after reading an article. This is a terrible UX change. Not just with this app, but any of the sister stations that use the same platform. ### 2/5 — Tiny print *2022-06-23, version 41.10.0* If you want to read this on an ipad, get this app. Otherwise you may need a magnifying glass to read the articles. ### 1/5 — Too many ads *2022-06-01, version 41.10.0* So frustrating I deleted this app. Every time I’d tap on the notification of a story I’d like to READ, I’d get ads. Once I’d swipe all the ads away, I’d get a video about the story. I don’t want the video as others in the house are watching tv and don’t want to hear what I’m doing on my device. Sometimes the news story’s there, many times it isn’t. Tired of wasting time on it... ### 3/5 — New updates *2022-03-25, version 41.9.0* I get notifications of top stories but nowadays, when I tap on the notification, it doesn’t even show up in the news feed. Very frustrating! It didn’t used to be this way. ### 1/5 — Nice for news but *2022-03-22, version 41.9.0* Very slow loading loaded with advertisements. Very frustrating to use. ### 2/5 — The app keeps cutting out *2022-01-29, version 41.8.0* I used to love watching WFLA news in the morning but, started having trouble with the app crashing on my iPad a year ago. I try it every few months with no success. Had to switch to Fox 13. No problems with their app. Sorry. ### 1/5 — The app is terrible. The channel is great *2021-12-17, version 41.7.1* Well the channel on the Internet is wonderful, the app is worthless. There’s a lot more advertising than anything else and the new story sir pretty much worthless with advertisements every inch or two. I highly recommend you watch the channel on the Internet and never download this app. It has been absolutely worthless to me and I am deleting it today. I’ve had it for four months and have not gotten one piece of news off of it worth seen. Most of it is Outdated news. ### 1/5 — Just remove it *2021-12-15, version 41.7.1* You took a great app and made it horrible. I just uninstalled it. You prove that “free has no value”. How many commercials can you jam into a news feed? WFLA will soon let you know. And the banner at the bottom? Please… ### 3/5 — Nvidia Shield TV or Apple TV *2021-10-26, version 41.6.0* Will this #WFLA8 app become available on the Nvidia Shield tv streaming box/dongle or the Apple TV streaming box? I don't find that it's available to download. ### 1/5 — ABC Action News works on Apple TV *2021-09-02, version 41.4.0* Locast got killed and so we have lost channel 8. So the only news in the area is channel 10. So that’s where we had to go now. ### 1/5 — Too many advertisements!! *2021-08-25, version 41.4.0* I do understand a that a “free” app has to somehow pay for itself… But there are so many ads that you can’t even really enjoy reading the articles. I was just looking for an APP for local news, but this one is almost unusable… Will probably just delete it ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Clickbait *2026-01-02, version 503.0.1* I’m ready to delete this app, the gimmick of not being able to scroll through anything without clicking an ad I am getting calls from advertisers up to three times a day, it’s ridiculous. ### 1/5 — Too many ads *2025-12-29, version 503.0.1* You can’t even see the home page without getting past a large ad. App is not worth trying to read the news or weather anymore. Sad! ### 1/5 — Ad bombardment! *2025-12-12, version 502.0.2* Beware, every time you open app you will be bombarded with up to 5 minutes of ads. In order to watch hourly news in morning it will be necessary to open app 5 minutes before the hour to get through the ads and hope they do not overrun into the beginning of the news cast. Really poor user experience considering the regular programming contains the ads same as over the air or cable access. ### 1/5 — NOT User Friendly, Archaic App Design *2025-03-30, version 500.8.0* No user-friendly way to rewind or replay videos. All videos start Muted, and you have to know where to click to Unmute because it doesn’t default to showing it on the screen. If you want to catch up on the news and click on multiple stories, you have to listen to the SAME dumb ad, at the start of every single one. I’m reminded of how much I hate this app, every time I use it. They need to modernize it, if they want to stay relevant with cord cutters, who are continually growing in number. Vary the ads and don’t run them at the start of every story. Hire a marketing leader to generate the ad revenue needed to build and maintain a high quality mobile app / UX. ### 1/5 — Annoying *2024-09-26, version 500.5.0* The amount of video ads on every story is asinine to the point where people are not even watching them. Whoever thought this was a good idea should be fired. I understand its how you make money but it comes to an extent where you should calm it down a bit. How about adding pictures more instead of these stupid videos!! Just dumb ### 1/5 — Unusable *2024-03-09, version 500.1.4* The ads take over with loud volume, there is no way out other than closing the app. Skip ad doesn’t work. Trying to watch a video also basically takes over your phone and the only way out is closing the app. Can’t take it any longer, deleting app. ### 1/5 — Fix this! *2024-03-05, version 500.1.4* The most recent update did nothing but make the app worse! “View more” doesn’t open anything, everything is huge, and not as easy to navigate as before the update. Will not be using until you fix the issues. ### 1/5 — Smut news *2024-02-28, version 500.1.1* If you want local Florida news forget this app. Only National Enquirer type stories reported here. ### 1/5 — Terrible large type since update *2024-02-15, version 500.1.1* Whatever your recent update in the last few days or so has totally screwed up the way your news looks on my iPhone everything is giant. Please let me know that you are aware of this. Otherwise I am getting rid of your app. ### 1/5 — Stuck *2024-02-13, version 500.1.1* Was working good until update (02/12)…now on startup it makes me decide if I want breaking news etc, then when it continues to weather options it won’t proceed past my zip code. Worthless app if I can’t get to the news… ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Best Alerts *2022-09-18, version 41.12.0* This is absolutely the best news app for TPA/STP and regional Florida breaking news/weather/traffic. I am tried all the news Apps for this area and none come close to News Channel 8. I am amazed -- and impressed -- by the timely and very informative push alerts I receive on my iPhone. They have helped me navigate traffic and stay informed of crime. WELL DONE News 8 WFLA! ### 5/5 — Loud video ads! - updated *2021-04-21, version 41.0.3* It seems they have finally fixed this issue, as the ads now open with the volume muted. Thanks guys! 👍 When you click into a story, a lot of times there is a video advertisement at the top that starts automatically at FULL VOLUME and there is no way to keep it from playing. Please, for the love of God, make it so the ad plays but is muted?! I should be able to scroll through the app in a staff meeting without the ad tattling on me for being on my phone 😂🤷‍♀️ ### 5/5 — My best news app *2021-01-25, version 40.35.570057540* This is the only app that when something happens in Sarasota County it appears right away as a message from channel 8 I think it’s fantastic and keep it up false it is a great great way to get the news all day lon ### 5/5 — Awesome *2021-01-15, version 40.35.570057540* I love the App. I now live in another State, but use to live on Clearwater Beach, I love keeping up to date with Florida News. Hope to move back soon. ### 5/5 — News Reporting *2020-12-12, version 40.35.570057540* I enjoy WFLA because they do not give only one-sided news. They give the conservative side as opposed to most main stream news agencies which give only the liberal side of a story and ignore the conservative side. ### 5/5 — My thoughts *2020-09-17* It’s so wonderful to have a app that specializes in what’s currently happening in real life time. I work tedious hours so catching the news is a treat for me but when I heard about Chanel 8 news app i jump in with both eyes open. It’s exactly what I need to compensate my long hour at work ### 5/5 — App closing out in story link *2020-05-06* Love the app but several times I click on link to certain stories and the app just closes out. Have refreshed and also reinstall app. But it continues to happen. Also app Only shows top videos? What happened to the stories. Have reinstalled app several times . Nothing works. ### 5/5 — Review *2019-08-12, version 40.33.530045711* I absolutely love this app!! The best and fastest for local news. I love the instant notifications I receive from this app. It allows me to keep up with stories as they happen!! ### 5/5 — App *2019-06-24, version 40.33.400044650* It hardly works. I was watching channel 8 every morning on my phone through my carrier, but it got so expensive. I downgraded just to WiFi and I the app is intermittent. ### 5/5 — Missing functionality *2018-10-24* The app has nice graphics. News stories are great. However, unable to share any stories from within the app. Please fix that piece of your app. That is, if you want your name on stories that you want shared. --- *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 2026-08-25.*