Report updated Apr 22, 2026
The Times Literary Supplement
For intellectually curious readers, academics, and researchers interested in culture, literature, and philosophy who value deep, expert-led criticism.
The Times Literary Supplement is a challenged news app that is available. With a 4.7/5 rating from 1K reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate exceptional content quality, though authentication and login persistence remains a common concern.
What is The Times Literary Supplement?
Current Momentum
v6.3 · 15mo ago
ZombieThe app has not received a public update in over 15 months and is currently in maintenance mode.
Active Nemesis
The New Yorker
By Advance Magazine Publishers
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
NewsNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
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What Are The Key Features?
Provides access to years of back issues of the TLS publication
Reviews of books published in languages including French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Russian
In-app access to the weekly TLS podcast featuring editors and writers
Login for existing print/digital subscribers using surname and subscriber number
How much does it cost?
- Free to download
- Individual issue purchase at £2.99
- Auto-renewing subscription at £7.99/month
The app uses a hybrid model that prioritizes recurring revenue while maintaining a low-friction entry point for one-off readers via single-issue purchases.
Who Built It?
Times Media Limited (Apps)
Providing premium journalism and intellectual stimulation to help news-conscious professionals stay informed and engaged with global affairs.
Portfolio
5
Apps
What other apps does Times Media Limited (Apps) make?
Explore the full Times Media Limited (Apps) report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Times Media Limited (Apps).
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 1K total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate exceptional content quality and archive access, but report authentication and login persistence and poor ipad optimization.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for The Times Literary Supplement?
How's The News Market?
How does it evolve in the News market?
Rank progression
37 active rankings tracked — 30-day window
The rivals identified
The outtake for The Times Literary Supplement
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Unrivaled academic archive depth
- Specialized multi-language literary coverage
- High-authority editorial brand prestige
Critical Frictions
- Broken authentication/login persistence
- Inflexible iPad UI (typography and orientation)
- App stability issues and frequent crashing
Growth Levers
- Implement a daily discovery feed to surface archive content
- Add full article narration to match audio-led competitors
- Modernize login with biometric/token-based authentication
Market Threats
- Substack poaching critics via a creator-centric model
- The New Yorker's superior technical maintenance and engagement velocity
- Algorithmic discovery platforms like Medium capturing younger audiences
What are the next best moves?
Resolve authentication persistence issues
Login failure is the #1 high-frequency complaint, causing users to abandon the digital app for paper copies.
Implement adjustable typography and iPad orientation support
Users report the current iPad experience is 'maddening' due to tiny, non-adjustable text and restricted portrait views.
Develop a daily content discovery feed
The New Yorker (Nemesis) uses a 'Today' feed to drive engagement; TLS currently feels 'stale' between weekly issues.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Daily 'Today' engagement feed (available in The New Yorker)
- Full article audio narration (available in The Economist)
- Social discovery/community layer (available in Substack and Medium)
Key Takeaways
The TLS possesses a world-class content moat through its archive and editorial depth, but it is currently losing the technical war. If I were the PM, I would prioritize fixing the fundamentally broken authentication system and iPad UI before attempting any new feature expansion, as these basic utility gaps are actively driving away high-value subscribers.
Where Is It Heading?
Stable
Frustrated user base due to persistent login bugs — indicates high technical debt.
Recent updates (Jan 2025) focused on maintenance rather than feature expansion.
High content quality remains a strong retention anchor despite technical flaws.