FUN FACT: India has a smartphone population of about 125 million users. Clearly, that’s a lot of people. Combine that little piece of trivia along with the need for news, and you get a brand new, blossoming application industry. Coincidentally, that is the subject for our app list for today, the 5 best Android applications for Indian news. Let’s get started!
1. Wrapup
A unique application on this list, Wrapup’s main objective is its efficiency. It believes that the reason why people do not read the news more often is the length of it. The size of the articles is news’ only caveat. To tackle this particular issue, it compresses all the major headlines into short blurbs consisting of 5 or fewer points that are short, crisp, and easy to understand. So, what about its other features? This application is aimed at people who’re constantly busy (or just plain lazy). It fits seamlessly into your daily schedule so that reading the news doesn’t feel like such a time-consuming activity. News consumption is simple, effective, and efficient. So, what the application does is that it compresses the main stories into 5-bullet shorts. Also, I’m talking about the necessary headlines. You also receive daily notifications. The notifications, along with the addition of offline reading ensures that you can get a heads up on what’s happening on your way to work. Pretty convenient, huh?. The news is not for everyone. I, for one, especially understand that. So, to solve that problem, you can opt to receive the news about what you care about. Some may like politics, while others may show interest in economics. Whatever it is, you can count on Wrapup to keep you up on, your daily news craving. You can also choose which newspaper you prefer, and that’s not all. You can choose which section from which newspaper you prefer your headlines from. It also supports night mode, and also presents the source at the bottom of every blurb. The notification system is also quite advanced, often showing you exactly what you need to know in the form of a picture. You can also take a look at videos, when necessary. Overall, the User Interface is very neat, and good looking. The concept of short news is also accepted by the majority of people, including myself. Free Version
2. Dailyhunt
Dailyhunt is the all in one package for the true Indian. It has a myriad of features which makes it stand out from the rest. For starters, it supports 15 out of the 22 scheduled languages in the country. This means that it integrates most of the popular languages which is utilized throughout the country. The languages are Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bangla, Gujarati, Urdu, Oriya, and Punjabi. You can access news from both regional and national newspapers from all over the country. It is neatly categorized, and you can add the category of your interest to your favorites. Aside from local news you also get stocks, horoscopes, world news, and weather updates. You can share this news with the social media of your choice. Apart from all this, this application is perfect for the student as well. You can prepare for your examinations for various government tests. Preparation material for a plethora of subjects is also available. It also helps you obtain a real-time analysis of your results and compares you with other students aiming for the same exam. It also integrates an eBook feature, where you can avail regional titles for free. The more premium titles are paid for by utilizing your mobile credit, debit card, or credit card. You can also read magazines as well. Customization is also a strong point for this application, where you can specify background color and text size. You can also opt in for notifications on breaking news. All in all, a very sophisticated application which is hoarded with functionality. Free Version
3. Times of India
Times of India is the official application of the largest media outlet. Its recent update added material design to the mix, which is both visually aesthetic and also complements the Android Lollipop update. Hands down one of my favorite features is the ‘briefs’. Basically, it gives you all necessary headlines in a short, efficient, and downright effective manner. Another effective feature is the daily updates. The application focuses on both morning and evening updates to keep you up to date. Another cool addition is the Live TV feature. You can catch what’s happening through television straight from your smartphone. Like other applications, this one has an offline mode, where you can save an article to your mobile to read at a later point in time. You can also bookmark articles for this purpose as well. You also have control over the notifications. You can customize them based on your interests, while also maintaining frequency as well. You can also choose the font of your preference, and there is also night mode to help you out. Plus, you can also share your favorite news pieces. The data saving feature allows you to download the images which are necessary. Free Version
4. The Hindu
The official application for one of the most popular and respected newspaper in India, the Hindu combines neat organization, coupled with simple navigation. The user interface is clean, and simple. This minimalistic approach is quite convenient in the sense that it does not overwhelm new users. It is categorized into top news, breaking news, city news, opinion, entertainment, sports, and, business. This is one of the news apps where you can make it truly yours. You can add your city of choice, and get headlines from that neck of the woods. There also exists an additional widget to add this functionality. It provides in-depth analysis about each headline, along with personal opinions that holds its own separate category. You can also read news articles offline by adding it to your ‘favorites’. You can share particular stories through any social media, or application of your choice. You can enable notifications, which allows the application to notify you of any new stories that come up. A simple tap will then take you to that particular article. You can also express your own voice, since the application integrates a commenting system. Finally, another welcome feature is the addition of night mode, which allows you to read better at night, or in a situation with less light. Albeit, there’s one drawback, as the application does support advertising. Free Version
5. NDTV
The official news application of the very popular Indian television channel, NDTV News is conveniently designed and maintained. The user interface is quite simple to navigate, and everything is organized and categorized cleanly. You get easy access to breaking news, top stories, live TV, live radio, photos, and videos. So, what about other features? You can read whatever is happening locally in your native hometown. You can add your very own city using settings. You get complete coverage of what’s not only happening in India but internationally as well. If you’re not the reading type, you can also get daily videos which will bring you up to date on the most ground breaking headlines. It also supplies pictures and slideshows for a better news experience. You can also share whatever news article you find interesting with your friends and family. Apart from all this, you also get live streaming of all of NDTV’s channels, like NDTV 24×7, NDTV India, NDTV Profit and Prime, etc. It also integrates a commenting and reply feature, where you can share your voice about various subjects of interest. However, the application does support advertising. Free Version
Conclusion
The news is an element which is ever-changing, ever-evolving. So, it is quite nice to see when applications come up with new and effective concepts to counter the issues posed by the mere size of the news. It was a tough choice to rate the application Wrapup, as it seemed to provide much functionality along with DailyHunt. The other applications on the best Indian news apps for Android list are the standardized form of what a typical news application should look like. Nonetheless, a clear majority like WrapUp and DailyHunt over the other applications by a landslide. Again, this perspective of ranking is purely arbitrary, and if you have contradictory views, don’t forget to share them in the comments section below. Featured Image Credit
