---
title: "The Observer: News &amp; podcasts - Reviews, Revenue and Downloads in United Kingdom | Apple App Store"
description: "The Observer: Independent journalism that matters The world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer has been challenging power, explaining the modern world and celebrating arts, culture, food and the "
---

# The Observer: News &amp; podcasts — United Kingdom
> UK news, lifestyle &amp; puzzles

![The Observer App Icon](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple221/v4/28/a2/f4/28a2f4e5-8261-1f4d-dc69-8c2ac183d323/AppIcon-0-0-1x_U007epad-0-1-85-220.png/434x0w.png)

**Developer:** [Tortoise Media](https://apptail.io/developer/tortoise-media-BAub) (United Kingdom)
**Category:** Newsstand
**Rating:** 4.8/5 (3,401 ratings)
**Price:** Free
**Bundle ID:** com.tortoisemedia.tortoise
**Store:** Apple App Store
**Country:** United Kingdom
**Version:** 3.0.21 (released 2026-03-26)
**Original Release:** 2019-01-12
**Languages:** English

**App Store Link:** [Download on Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/app/id1441428990)
**AppTail Page:** [https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/united-kingdom](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/united-kingdom)

## The Observer Description
The Observer: Independent journalism that matters
The world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer has been challenging power, explaining the modern world and celebrating arts, culture, food and the things that make life worth living since 1791.

Our new subscriber-only app delivers trusted, award-winning journalism, with the print edition every Sunday, exclusive digital-only articles, podcasts, puzzles, recipes, newsletters and events, all designed to help you stay informed, inspired and connected.

Download The Observer app today to receive:

Unlimited access to award-winning reporting
In-depth investigations, analysis and comment on global and national politics, climate, culture, ideas, food, travel and more - every day of the week and via the print edition PDF every Sunday. 

Exclusive podcasts and audio journalism
Hear The Observer’s trusted voice come to life through weekly podcasts and special series, including The Salt Path revelations and behind-the-headlines conversations with leading thinkers.

Smart newsletters, straight to your inbox
Stay close to the stories that matter. Receive sharp analysis, exclusive insights and cultural highlights that help you understand the world and find the joy in it too.

The original cryptic crossword, and more
A century ago, The Observer published the world’s first cryptic crossword. Our new digital puzzles range from gentle brain teasers to fiendishly tough cryptics, a perfect daily moment to pause for thought.

Observer events and book clubs
Meet the people behind our stories and the thinkers making sense of the world. Join live podcast recordings, author conversations and thought-provoking debates with writers, journalists and cultural figures. Attend in person or online, year-round.

Immerse yourself in the print edition every Sunday with our PDF view
Enjoy The Observer’s weekend edition from cover to cover, including the Observer Magazine and New Review supplements, direct from our app, for subscribers only.

A community that believes journalism still matters
Being an Observer subscriber means joining a growing community of readers who care passionately about truth, ideas and connection. Together, we support journalism that stands for independence, curiosity and integrity.

Since 1791, The Observer has gone beyond the headlines. Today, our app continues that mission, helping you see the world clearly and enjoy it fully.

Download The Observer app today
Experience the journalism that has defined generations, in print, digital, audio and events. Stay informed, challenge ideas and celebrate the best of life, every day.

Terms of Use


Editorial Guidelines


Privacy Policy


Apple Standard EULA


## The Observer Screenshots
- [Screenshot 1](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/16/a9/4f/16a94f51-1560-8f8f-925f-61a636b1797b/Frame_1.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 2](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/06/71/e7/0671e755-d496-807f-c369-3a6b361ee466/Frame_2.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 3](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/7e/33/0d/7e330dee-25ad-025e-75e2-e5b997d97656/image__U00281_U0029.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 4](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/c9/ed/14/c9ed147d-cefa-4994-2c8e-1ae6e389fa72/Frame_3.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 5](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/74/5d/58/745d58be-3241-dc74-28a6-d1ca7f1edc7c/Frame_4.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 6](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/f1/be/61/f1be61a0-f471-cc8a-b60d-2a0010ce5d26/Frame_5.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 7](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/1a/b2/72/1ab2729b-2ec0-e708-d6e2-dfc78447d868/Frame_6.png/2048x2732.png)
- [Screenshot 8](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/d5/b9/0a/d5b90ae9-4387-c995-a111-6757b5c4f20c/image.png/2048x2732.png)

## The Observer Rating Breakdown in United Kingdom
- 5 stars: 2,886 (85%)
- 4 stars: 333 (10%)
- 3 stars: 81 (2%)
- 2 stars: 34 (1%)
- 1 stars: 67 (2%)

## The Observer Reviews in United Kingdom

### ***** "Just brilliant"
My first stop for the stories behind the news. I found myself struggling to connect the dots behind the deluge of short news clips and sound bites. I now have more knowledge as to why entities, governments and people do what they do. The journalism is well-researched and rarely partisan.
-- Mondays Child Grace, 2025-02-07

### ****- "Love the reporting, the app less so."
Find it more difficult to listen on this than on Spotify, etc, which is frustrating as I downloaded the app because the programs are so good, and intend to become a paid subscriber. I expect I’ll figure out how to get to the series I enjoy, but it not remembering what I was listening to when I return is particularly frustrating, especially if I can’t remember what it was called!
-- Mhari , 2025-01-29

### ****- "Great content but needs a sleep timer"
Good content but needs a sleep timer
-- Weedyguitarguy, 2025-01-04

### ***-- "Really good content, difficult to navigate"
Great content, particularly a fan of their investigatory podcasts like Pig Iron, but the app is quite difficult to find them! Easier to use bbc sounds.
-- Insane Sausage, 2024-12-04

### ***** "Interesting and thoughtful"
Really pleased to have found this app .
Grown up spin on news .
-- Pwj1, 2024-10-19

### ***** "Great"
Cool app!
-- JonFenton001, 2024-10-10

### ****- "Login"
Would really love my login info to be saved or remembered
-- Stupid&amp;&amp;&amp;&amp;, 2024-10-05

### **--- "Great content, awful app"
The most confusing interface. Incredibly hard to access individual episodes. Don’t play in order. This stuff is basic and has been highlighted in reviews from ages ago. Why hasn’t this been fixed??
-- CookieCookeCooke, 2024-08-11

### ***** "In-depth reporting at its best"
The Tortoise presents news differently. It delves into the stories behind the stories. Curated and presented in a range of reading and listening, it’s a newspaper/news app that you want to spend time with. My annual subscription has so far been more than worth its value and I will definitely be renewing.
-- TamsinD, 2024-08-09

### **--- "Great content but the app isn’t good"
I subscribed to this app as I really like the content and like listening to the podcasts. However, the app isn’t good. Downloaded episodes fail to play out properly or the podcast just stops in the middle of playing. If I have to pause the podcast it often requires re-booting when I return to it. So disappointing and thinking of cancelling my subscription as it’s so frustrating.
-- oynegirl, 2024-08-02

### ***-- "App needs work"
Great content poor app
-- bec0870, 2024-07-26

### ****- "Content is great, but…"
The app is still a bit complicated to navigate. Sometimes I have to go through multiple screens to find the podcast or article I want to read.
-- talancon, 2024-07-16

### ***** "Slow news is good news."
What’s not to love. Eclectic voices, insightful discussion, news on the go. I feel able to develop deeper connections with the journalists in this digital news room. I don’t remember the last time I didn’t use Tortoise as a reference of some sort in discussion or debate.
-- Georgerjrs, 2024-07-16

### ***-- "Good app overall but a few issues"
A few things I’ve noticed - episodes don’t always play chronologically and you have to manually select the next one. 

The UX &amp; navigation confusing in some places - also not clear how to use the library function/how to add series to the library. 

Design is great and it looks really good, just some UX issues.
-- G92turtle, 2024-07-08

### ***** "Vital and intelligent journalism"
We just need Tortoise as a voice in our media today
-- InfamousGreggyG, 2024-07-08

### ***** "Awesome"
Easy to use and amazing journalism
-- rroypop, 2024-07-03

### ***** "Brilliant portfolio insightful and interesting podcasts."
Always well presented, thoroughly researched and interesting narratives told from the other perspective.
-- Tubby2sheds, 2024-05-29

### ***** "Great content"
I&#039;ve came across this app as it was reccomended by chatgpt when I asked it about some in depth free news providers. And it&#039;s great highly recommend!
-- Mo Aminz, 2024-05-27

### ***-- "I still find it difficult to find everything that’s available easily"
It would be great to have an easily accessible and editable play list. Also there is so much stuff in the back catalogue that it would be good to have available but I just can’t find it anymore
Love the content!!!
-- ajr1001, 2024-03-24

### ***** "Much better after update"
I previously rated the app 1* after it was literally unusable, as in after a couple of weeks it would crash on launch. Before the crashing, it was super slow.

However, the app has now had a facelift with a slick new UI and very intuitive features. Glad I stuck around!
-- GeorgeO7777, 2024-02-22

[View all The Observer reviews and detailed analytics on AppTail](https://apptail.io/account/signup?utm_campaign=ai-crawl&amp;utm_content=reviews)

## The Observer In-App Purchases
| Item | Price |
|------|-------|
| Monthly Digital Membership | £6.99 |
| Annual Digital Membership | £99.99 |


## The Observer Discovered Keywords
- tortoise

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## The Observer Available In
- [United Kingdom](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/united-kingdom)
- [United States](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/united-states)
- [Canada](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/canada)
- [Ireland](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/ireland)
- [Australia](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/australia)
- [France](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/france)
- [Germany](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/germany)
- [New Zealand](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/new-zealand)
- [Netherlands](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/netherlands)
- [Switzerland](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/switzerland)
- [Japan](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/japan)
- [Hong Kong SAR China](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/hong-kong)
- [Spain](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/spain)
- [Italy](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/italy)
- [South Africa](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/south-africa)
- [India](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/india)
- [Sweden](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/sweden)
- [Denmark](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/denmark)
- [Norway](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/norway)
- [United Arab Emirates](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/united-arab-emirates)
- [Belgium](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/belgium)
- [Singapore](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/singapore)
- [Kenya](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/kenya)
- [Portugal](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/portugal)
- [Luxembourg](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/luxembourg)
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- [Nigeria](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/nigeria)
- [Malaysia](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/malaysia)
- [Bermuda](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/bermuda)
- [Brazil](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/brazil)
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- [Panama](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/panama)
- [Peru](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/peru)
- [Romania](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/romania)
- [Russia](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/russia)
- [Saudi Arabia](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/saudi-arabia)
- [Thailand](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/thailand)
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- [Cayman Islands](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/cayman-islands)
- [Kazakhstan](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/kazakhstan)
- [Latvia](https://apptail.io/app/the-observer-news-podcasts-Bmq/latvia)
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---

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