Review Insights · Google Play
CNN: Live & Breaking News
CNN · 587,738 ratings · ★ 4.3
4.3
★★★★★
587,738 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 51 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"news"
17 negative reviews mention this · 33% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I will start by saying overall good design but absolutely ridiculous that you have to pay to read the articles that you can get for free news companies should be free why am I paying money to read articles that I can find for free the app w…" - Noah Storey
2
"read"
13 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I will start by saying overall good design but absolutely ridiculous that you have to pay to read the articles that you can get for free news companies should be free why am I paying money to read articles that I can find for free the app w…" - Noah Storey
3
"free"
10 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I will start by saying overall good design but absolutely ridiculous that you have to pay to read the articles that you can get for free news companies should be free why am I paying money to read articles that I can find for free the app w…" - Noah Storey
4
"subscription"
8 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Deleted it as it's all subscription based and they have the same news as 100 other online free news outlets." - Adrian Simpson
5
"worth"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "mostly behind paywall - not worth it" - Michael Kroeger
6
"stories"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Tried to read a story and was told Id reached my free article limit. The limit t must be ZERO since I haven't tried to read a story in the app in many months. Its been bad with ads galore and links to products buy, but now they want me to s…" - Jeff Pearce
7
"articles"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I will start by saying overall good design but absolutely ridiculous that you have to pay to read the articles that you can get for free news companies should be free why am I paying money to read articles that I can find for free the app w…" - Noah Storey
📋 All 51 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
mostly behind paywall - not worth it
I will start by saying overall good design but absolutely ridiculous that you have to pay to read the articles that you can get for free news companies should be free why am I paying money to read articles that I can find for free the app would be much better but it's incredibly dumb
it doesn't work at all
I wish I could give this app 0 stars used to be a good app, not anymore, party's over
I used to like this app but now there's a charge to use it.
Have to pay now to see anything. just visit their website.
App goes from fine to completely non-functional all the time because they literally do not test updates. App now literally never loads past the initial CNN logo even after cache clearing and reinstallation. Don't waste your time with an ad riddled experience for "breaking news" when half the time it won't even load, just find another app
Deleted it as it's all subscription based and they have the same news as 100 other online free news outlets.
now we gotta pay for news....nope
Nearly everything is behind a paywall, the app really isn't worth using as a result.
Headlines with Incomplete wording. Tabloid styled drama. Outdated articles.
It used to be good, I've used it for years. But recently, I'm pretty sure they put AI in charge of ads. The other day, I heard the say Wendy's commercial 7 times in a row. Basically everyday I turn it on because I like CNN news, but every time I hear the same commercial 3 times in a row, I turn them off. I get roughly 10 minutes daily
live updates are no longer free on a free app. must pay to play now. what's the point of getting notifications if I can't read the article. not worth having on my phone any longer.
not news
All notifications must be grouped at one name "CNN" by time in groupe, not each separate notification by time.
loved CNN but now the app says I have met the limit to access articles and need a subscription for $3.99 a month! are you kidding me!! I always use CNN for my go to for news. I'm going to Al Jazeer and possibly Fox. here it is paying to read the news based solely on greed. very disappointed.
don't use
Tried to read a story and was told Id reached my free article limit. The limit t must be ZERO since I haven't tried to read a story in the app in many months. Its been bad with ads galore and links to products buy, but now they want me to subscribe to read their stories? No thanks. The same content is available elsewhere. Its a bait and switch app. Click on a headline and then told you have to be a subscriber. Remove the advertising and I'll use the app again.
App is no longer useful without a subscription.
I pay for CNN thru my cable provider. CMN would be completely free to cable subscribers.
I've had to change my review. buyer beware: a little over a year ago they did something and I have not been able to get logged in since. I've tried numerous times to fix it. they continue to charge me even after it was reported to them. I've asked google for a refund and they cant/won't based on CNN policy. looks like I would have to change my entire financial set up just to prevent this recurring theft of what now is $32 a year.
Lowered review to 1 star because paywall for free articles I could view on desktop makes this app unusable. Uninstalling.
First started with some news requiring a subscription. Now they have limits on how many stories you can see/read. Not worth the space the app takes up. Uninstalled; there are better news sources out there.
No longer runs on S25 Ultra. Tried reinstall etc but doesn't go beyond red launch page
Deleted. I understand corporate media is trying to figure out how to monetize after cable's death, BUT CNN has jumped the shark. I will never pay for someone's take. Facts, relevance, and how to get more information are all I value now. Important stories are bloated with B.S. & real information is being hustled behind a pay wall.
This used to be one of my favorite news sources, but not anymore. Last year I had to pay for a subscription and now I can't open anything labeled For Subscribers Only. I don't understand, how many subscriptions do I have to pay for? My subscription expires soon and I'm not renewing it.
I do not suggest subscribing to this unless you get it through your TV provider. purchasing the app through here. comes with a bunch of problems
Latest update is so slow on startup I close because I get tired of waiting. I see the CNN logo for 20 seconds plus.
Reached my article limit. wanted a different view besides fox news. won't let me read any stories....wants me to subscribe. CNN can pound rocks.
can't read anything unless you pay.
you might 1 free article a month haven't been able to read a single thing in over 2 months
I had this app for years. I loved it and trusted the reliability of the information. I had saved several stories. After the recent update, all of them are gone.
I'm being double billed.
AT WHAT POINT IN TIME DOES A NEWS SOURCE LIMIT THE ABILITY TO READ THE NEWS!!!!!THIS APP USE TO BE FREE, NOW IT IS $30. CNN THIS IS SO WRONG AND GOES DIRECTLY AGAINST THE WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO STAND FOR. ..REPORTING THE NEWS TO INFORM PEOPLE. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED.
CNN is very slow to fix bugs on the app. I have a premium account and it consistently asks for me to sign up for it. I have to click ok and close it out then it recognizes my account. happens multiple times a day and has been happening a very long time. Playing video can also be very buggy. a lot of time I get a black screen and just audio or when close it out the audio keeps playing
A pay walked exercise in banality.
i have reinstalled the app thrice, and restarted my phone thrice.... why will it not finish downloading? I had CNN just fine, only days ago!
I ask only for breaking news on major events, but I get something regarding which football teams will meet in a match ?! Who cares ? How is this breaking news ? I did NOT sign up for Sports alerts.
no thanks
Have to pay to read stories, not free
This app is terrible. I signed up for an annual subscription, and the app acts as if I don't have a subscription, so now I am screwed. Logging in and out doesn't help. And if I look at my account, it shows that I have a paid subscription. So what gives? Also, found out after I paid the app doesn't work on Samsung TVs for some reason. I threw away over 70 dollars on this garbage app/service.
App not working
totally sucks. won't even let you read some headline stories if your not a subscriber. as if we don't deserve the. ews if we can't afford it
not Good Keep Stopping
After choosing to pay TV fees for CNN, charging more for this is not for me. Too many articles are behind a paywall. Uninstalled.
issue with logging into account... been my fave news app for years, despite being a Brit (sorry BBC). however, it no longer keeps me logged in, and so I dont get alerts!!! FYI, I pay for this. £2.99 a month. when I try to log in, it tells me there is an issue with my connection (totally false). so its not great right now. would love if it worked again....
This app pretty much has to have a subscription to be of any use.
I’m incredibly disappointed with this app. I subscribe to CNN All-Access and love watching the news on my Nest screen, but the lack of a native casting icon is unacceptable. Casting is a basic feature for any modern streaming app. Forcing paying subscribers to mirror their entire phone screen is a major hassle and more trouble than it’s worth. Come on CNN, fix this!
The app has gone downhill since it became a pay wall. I want to read their news because it's great reporting, but I live in poverty and apparently can only read three free articles a month now. It's very depressing, but on the bright side I've found other apps that have remained free and have found myself using those apps more and more as time goes on. If I ever come into money, I don't think I'll be supporting CNN. I'll choose to support apps that are poverty-friendly to keep those going.
News isnt worth paying for. Youre going to lose that battle every time now to front line gawkers with phone cameras or AI feed slurpers. My bottom line is also important- I hadnt used this app in days and when I finally go to read an article about billionaires needing to pay THEIR part of the tax burden [just the headline] CNN app loads so slow and says article limit reached. I just simply go look for the same message elsewhere. Get with the program. I as a viewer felt alienated. Limits?
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Sentiment summary
84%
Positive (4-5★)
3%
Neutral (3★)
13%
Negative (1-2★)