AP News

News & Magazines

6.8~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.3 Google Play·1M+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-10-02

Screenshots

AP News Breaking News hub with topic chips, a photo-led story and Top News, Sections, Videos, Explore and Settings tabs

AP News Notification Settings with a master push toggle, Breaking News and Best of AP, and per-section switches

AP News Videos list with a playing clip, running times on each thumbnail and bookmark and share buttons

AP News Sections menu listing Bookmarks, Local News, US News, Fact Check, Climate and Health under a search bar

AP News World News article with a swipeable photo gallery marked 1 of 8 and an updated timestamp

About AP News

AP News is the Associated Press's own reader app, and it is free: neither Google Play nor the App Store lists a subscription or in-app purchase. The feed centres on AP wire reporting, adds stories from other local and international sources, and splits coverage into sections such as Local News, Fact Check and Climate, with alerts set topic by topic. The trade-off is advertising: 2026 Play reviews describe full-screen ads that open on a stray touch.

App information

DeveloperThe Associated Press

Version6.29.1 PROD (Android) · 4.29 (iOS)

Size52 MB (Android) · 116 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsYes

In-app purchasesNo

Content rating13+

Requires (Android)Android 9+

Requires (iOS)iOS 16.0+

Offline modeNo offline mode documented; stories, video and alerts load over a data connection

Interface languagesEN

Store rating (Google Play)4.3 from 145,502 ratings

Installs1M+

Updated by developer2026-09-24

Data checked2026-10-01

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-10-01. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

AP News Review: Free Wire Reporting, Paid For With a Heavy Ad Load

What $0 Gets You: Top News, Local News and No Paywall

Reading costs nothing and needs no login: the Play data safety form marks name and email as optional. Google Play shows no in-app purchases badge for this app, while the CNN and NYTimes listings both carry one. The bottom bar has five tabs: Top News, Sections, Videos, Explore and Settings. Sections opens an editable list with its own search field, including Local News, US News, World News, Fact Check, Climate, Science and Health, plus a Bookmarks folder for saved stories. One 2025 Play reviewer complained that local stories follow device location only, with no way to choose another area; Google News, by comparison, lets you add several locations. The Play listing also promises articles in English and Spanish, and the app carries the AP Top 25 sports polls.

Notification Settings: Breaking News, Best of AP and Per-Topic Switches

The alert screen has a master push toggle, two featured streams called Breaking News and Best of AP, and separate switches for Politics, World, U.S., Business, Entertainment, Sports and further sections below. In practice the system has been shaky: between July and September 2026, Play reviewers reported selections reverting to every category, blocked topics still arriving within 20 minutes, and alerts ignoring an attempt to pause them during a concert. The late-September 2026 Android update lists a fix for category choices being reverted and alerts not arriving, and the newest reviews thank the team for it. The matching iPhone release added Siri and Apple Shortcuts access to headlines on chosen topics, plus a home-screen widget with AP's top photos of the day.

The Real Price: Full-Screen Ads, Six Tracking Categories, Location Data

With nothing to sell, the app earns from advertising. Google Play shows the Contains ads badge, the App Store age rating lists Advertising, and Apple's privacy label names Third-Party Advertising as a purpose. Since spring 2026, Play reviews have described ads taller than the screen, flashing banners and units that open Amazon or another app when a finger merely brushes them while scrolling. Apple's label lists six data types that may be used to track you across other companies' apps and sites: location, user content, search history, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics. The developer's Play data safety form says approximate location is collected, precise location is optional, IDs and app interactions are shared for advertising, and data is not transferred over a secure connection; it also offers a deletion request. Some reviewers add that declining ad personalization brings the consent prompt back on later launches.

Pros

No subscription, paywall or in-app purchases listed on either store
Separate Breaking News and Best of AP alerts, plus per-section switches
Sections menu includes Local News, Fact Check and Climate, with an Edit option
Runs on Android 9+, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple-silicon Macs and Vision Pro
Dedicated Videos tab shows each clip's running time before you tap

Cons

Play reviewers report full-screen ads that open when touched during scrolling
Apple's privacy label lists six data types that may be used to track you
Early-2026 reviews say the back button jumped to the top of the feed
A widely upvoted Play review says the Android tablet layout has gone unfixed for two years

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Verdict

We scored it 6.8: AP's own reporting, a Local News section and finely split alerts come free with no paywall, but 2026 Play reviews keep returning to intrusive ads, and both stores' privacy disclosures declare data use for advertising. Take it if you want wire-service headlines and topic-by-topic alerts without paying. Skip it if accidental ad taps or location-linked ad data bother you, or if you read mostly on an Android tablet; Google News or a paid NYTimes subscription may fit better.

Core function8.0AP reporting plus Local News, Fact Check and per-section alerts, though local stories follow device location only.

Ease of use7.0Five clear tabs and an editable Sections list, but early-2026 builds sent the back button to the feed's top.

Monetisation6.0Nothing to buy and no paywall, yet reviewers report full-screen ads that open on a stray touch.

Performance6.5Slow loads and reverting alert settings drew 2026 complaints; the September update lists a notification fix.

Privacy & permissions5.5Six tracking data types on Apple's label; the Play form declares ad sharing and no encryption in transit.

6.8out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Is the AP News app free?

Yes. It is free to download on Google Play and the App Store, neither listing shows in-app purchases or a subscription, and stories are not behind a paywall. Reading does not require an account, since the Play data safety form marks name and email as optional. Advertising pays for it, which Google Play flags with its Contains ads badge.

How do I change AP News notifications?

Open Notification Settings from Settings. A master switch turns all push alerts on or off; below it, Breaking News and Best of AP have their own toggles, followed by one switch per section such as Politics, World, Business and Sports. If your choices kept reverting, update the app: the late-September 2026 Android release lists a fix for that bug.

Is there an ad-free version of AP News?

No ad-free tier is offered: Google Play shows no in-app purchases for the app and the App Store listing sells no upgrades, so every reader gets the ad-supported version. CNN and NYTimes, by contrast, both list in-app purchases on Google Play. Ad personalization can be declined, but some reviewers say the consent prompt then keeps coming back.

How do I delete my AP News data?

Request it from the developer: the Google Play data safety form states that a deletion request is available, and the support address sits in the App support block of the Play listing. Because an account is optional, a reader who never signed in has no name or email on file, although Apple's label shows identifiers, usage data and diagnostics are collected regardless.

What are good alternatives to AP News?

Google News is an aggregator that pulls many publishers into one personalised feed and lets you follow several local areas. CNN and NYTimes are single-newsroom apps closer to AP's, but both list in-app purchases on Google Play, and NYTimes sells an All Access subscription for unlimited reading. AP's app has no purchases at all, only ads.