What it does
SmartNews is a news aggregation app designed to deliver a personalized stream of articles from a wide range of publishers. It allows users to follow specific topics, publishers, and keywords to build a custom feed. The app also includes dedicated sections for local news, videos, and curated content collections.
Where it shines
SmartNews excels at giving users explicit control over their content feed. The onboarding (00:06) immediately engages users in a detailed topic-selection process, ensuring the first-seen feed is relevant. The real strength, however, lies in the granular, in-feed controls. At 01:35, the user can tap on any article's context menu and choose to see less about a specific topic or from a certain publisher. The app provides instant visual feedback by hiding the article, confirming the user's choice has been registered. This creates a powerful and responsive personalization loop.
UX highlights
- Two-Tier Personalization: The onboarding quiz (00:06 - 00:24) uses a clever two-level system. Users first pick broad categories from a visual grid, then can tap into those categories to select more specific sub-topics.
- Contextual Local News Setup: When the user first visits the 'Local' tab (01:57), the app presents a clean input prompt to set a location rather than forcing them into settings. It turns a potential dead-end into a guided setup.
- Undo Safety Net: After hiding an article (01:42), a toast message appears with an "Undo" button, reducing user anxiety about making a permanent mistake in their feed.
- Direct Topic/Publisher Management: From any article's context menu, users can directly follow or unfollow related topics and publishers without leaving the feed.
- Clean Article View: The in-app article reader (00:55) provides a clean, clutter-free reading experience, with relevant topic tags at the top for further exploration.
- Reorderable Channels: In settings (06:23), users can physically drag and drop their main navigation channels to reorder them, giving them full control over the app's primary structure.
Monetization & growth
Monetization is not explicitly shown in this recording. There is no paywall during onboarding or any visible prompts for a premium subscription. The primary business model appears to be ad-based, with ads integrated into the news feed and article pages. Growth mechanics are centered on personalization, aiming to create a sticky product that users return to for a tailored news experience.
Who it’s for
This app is for news readers who feel overwhelmed by generic news feeds and want a high degree of control over the content they consume. It's suitable for users who want to follow a mix of broad categories (like U.S. Politics) and niche interests (like a specific public figure or company). The local news feature also makes it valuable for users who want to stay informed about their immediate community.
Notes & opportunities
The app uses native OS pop-ups for account creation and permissions, which can feel a bit jarring. For example, the gender selection at 00:34 uses a native iOS picker which feels less integrated than a custom component. While the feed personalization is strong, the 'Following' tab in the main navigation (02:22) could be better utilized; it seems to just be a list of followed topics rather than a dedicated feed of content from only those topics.