ABC News is a news aggregation and live-streaming app for general consumers, providing 24/7 breaking coverage and original programs on iOS and Android.
Product velocity
Active
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#46
▲3News · free
Sentiment
4.2
39k reviews
Nemesis
Daily Mail: Breaking News
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
Users open the app to access verified, institutional-grade reporting that serves as a trusted alternative to commercial media outlets.
For General news consumers seeking 24/7 access to breaking headlines, live video broadcasts, and curated daily reports.
What does it look like?
Key features
24/7 live-streaming of news broadcasts and original programs like Nightline and 20/20
Real-time text updates and breaking news banners displayed directly on the app home screen
User-configured notifications for specific news topics and breaking headlines
How much does it cost?
The app operates as a free, ad-supported distribution channel for the publisher's media content.
Velocity
Active developmentUX improvementsperformanceShow more...
The app maintains an active development pace, shipping 5 releases over the last 8 weeks, averaging approximately 0.6 releases per week. While the Android platform received a feature-rich update in the latest version, the iOS releases remain consistently opaque, focusing on generic bug fixes and performance improvements. The development trend is stable, with a mix of functional UI enhancements and ongoing maintenance across both platforms. The publisher utilizes a standard release cycle rather than a live-ops-heavy model.
Who built it?
Disney
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What do users think recently?
The recent review mood reads mixed. Users appreciate reliable and factual news reporting provides a trusted alternative to commercial media outlets for australian audiences and intuitive navigation and personalization settings allow users to curate their daily news feed effectively, but report frequent ui regressions following the latest update cause the app to reset to the top of the feed.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
Weekly average review rating
What users say, by theme
- Reliable and factual news reporting provides a trusted alternative to commercial media outlets for Australian audiences
- Intuitive navigation and personalization settings allow users to curate their daily news feed effectively
- Frequent UI regressions following the latest update cause the app to reset to the top of the feed
120 of 433 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Mixed overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for ABC News: Live Breaking News
How's the News market?
ABC News holds the #5 Free position in the News & Magazines category in Australia, though its US ranking at #54 Free signals a broader competitive challenge. The gap between its high brand trust and the technical friction in the latest release creates a retention risk against Daily Mail's higher content volume.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By dmg media ltd
As a global news powerhouse, Daily Mail competes directly with ABC News for the attention of mass-market readers seeking 24/7 breaking updates and high-volume content.
- Offers a dedicated DailyMail+ subscription tier providing exclusive premium content and an ad-free experience
- Supports robust offline reading capabilities, allowing users to cache news stories for low-connectivity environments
- Maintains a massive, highly-engaged user base with over 128,000 ratings, signaling significant market penetration
WKBN 27 First NewsContender
KQED: Bay Area Culture & NewsContender
NTV Spor - Sporun AdresiContender
St. Louis News from KSDKContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for ABC News: Live Breaking News
Where is it heading?
The news app market is consolidating around high-frequency, offline-capable content delivery, placing ABC News in a defensive posture. If the team fails to resolve the navigation regressions, the high editorial trust will be insufficient to prevent churn to more stable, feature-rich competitors like Daily Mail.
- UI regressions in the latest update (feed resets) erode the daily active habit, which compounds the rating drag already visible on Android.
- The latest release added pull-to-refresh and navigation improvements, signaling that the team is actively addressing user feedback despite current technical friction.
The SWOT
- Trusted institutional brand identity sustains organic install velocity
- Home screen live blogs provide immediate value without video playback
- Granular notification toggles would reduce alert fatigue and improve long-term retention
Next best moves
Rebuild feed navigation logic because feed-reset bugs are the top-cited frustration → stabilize daily active habit
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The app's reliance on live-streaming is a vulnerability: in a mobile-first news market…
Read the full takeFeature gaps
Offline reading mode (available in Daily Mail but missing here) +1
Since the last report: Technical friction and the absence of offline-capable features have forced a shift in competitive outlook from declining to mixed. The primary driver is the persistence of feed-reset bugs, which now compete with the lack of offline reading as the most significant barrier to user retention.
Bottom line
Addressing the feed-reset bug and providing granular notification controls would stabilize the daily habit, as the current technical friction undermines the editorial trust that keeps users returning.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is ABC News free to use?
How does ABC News compare to Daily Mail?
Can I read news offline?
What is a good alternative for local news?
Sources
Report last updated