The Times: UK & World News

It does what it says on the “packet” namely full editions of The Times newspaper from midnight updated regularly during the day. It’s easy to use and I particularly like and use the “Previous six days” section where it is easy to revisit the paper from the previous week. Apart from the news, other likes include the, Sport, Puzzles, Times2 and Comments sections - there is a very useful facility for receiving email alerts (with link) to as many (or few) individual sections as you wish. A very useful facility on my iPhone is when replying to someone else’s reply (to one of my comments) it takes me back to the exact place. However my iPad does not seem to do this. I’ve only given four stars because of a couple of ways it could be improved. Firstly when typing comments it occasionally “jumps” or refreshes and the comments already typed may be lost which is very frustrating, especially having typed a lot of text. Secondly there appears to be no way to search for previously read pieces. Perhaps a list of headlines for each day’s edition(s) could be used to facilitate a search under “Previous six days”? Finally the Codeword puzzle, Chess and Bridge sections only appear sporadically and I struggle to find the quiz again, but that may be my ineptitude. Otherwise the app, and newspaper, is excellent and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Used on first iPhone 6+. I bought this and my subscription to The Times for the crossword. The crossword works well, with perhaps too many ‘checking’ options. It will store pretty much anything you have started to complete and allow you to return - similar to still finding printed versions in a pocket you haven’t used for some time. As my juvenile cataract worsens, and the rest of me becomes less juvenile, I would like more reliable scrolling of the grid and more ability to zoom/enlarge print, but I’m also pursuing the options for improving my eyesight... The paper part is clear, structured like the website, similar in flow to the paper. Searching for pieces is not satisfying, as previously noted, but then it serves to replicate the transience of the original. I’d rather it did not return to reload the edition from the front so frequently, and could update without disturbing where I left it, but apps seem designed to suit the software rather than the user.

As an app, it’s not a substitute for a paper copy of the newspaper. It’s very difficult to find an article a second time when it’s no longer headline news and there are many items in the paper that I don’t see on the app. They may well be there but there’s no logic to the layout. I wish all the puzzles were available on both phone and iPad. Killer sudoku is on the phone but not iPad. Codeword is on iPad but not phone. If I want to solve a puzzle from a previous day on the phone, I have to redownload the whole edition and look; the archive system on the iPad is much better and I can’t see why the same system isn’t used. Having said that, it has improved a lot, over the years. It updates promptly and it’s a pleasure to browse. I’ve given it four stars, for the first time, in acknowledgement of all the work that’s been done on the app.

I am not what you might call a natural Times reader. It’s always been a bit too ‘establishment’ for the ragged philanthropist likes of me, but I have always appreciated how well written and edited it is. The My Times stuff (conferences and special events) were an initial appeal, but they seem to have tailed off of late, or at least, have not been drawn to my attention in the same way. Getting hefty reductions on things which remain pretty expensive and which I can’t convince myself I really need doesn’t cut it I’m afraid. And lately the comments threads don’t seem to load, and I don’t get the impression there is anyone at the end of a phone to talk to a third age techno t—t such as myself about these nagging matters. But a steady stream of well grounded Investigations deserves applause. After all, It’s what journalism is for. Nuff said for now?

Great paper, very nice app, absolute nightmare trying to cancel my subscription. Wasn’t getting value for money ONLY because I didn’t have time to read it much so thought I’d cancel for a bit. “I hear what you’re saying, let me just sum up what you said to me, so what you’re telling me is blah blah stall blah, ‘hold on while I speak o a colleague, to try to work out a way to get you to stay’” Over and over again - incredibly annoying and verging on unpleasant. Last time I had such a crap experience trying to cancel something was when I was emigrating and trying to cancel Sky, when I was out of contract - it was a nightmare. Weird, almost as if the two companies are linked in some way... It.’s totally put me off - never want to sign up again, as I now know I’d have to go through all that nonsense to cancel.