The Raleigh News & Observer

Thank goodness for the old fashioned paper. I’m able read local content. On the app, it asks me to login for every article and after successfully logging in and returning to an article- it throws the login screen again and it never goes away. Called support multiple times and they referenced my problem to IT and promised a response in 24-48 hours. Here it is 72 hours later - no response from IT (surprised????).

When reading the paper on a Saturday (when print edition not published), the new “editions” view is difficult to use and read. I want to see quickly what the headlines are on every page, not keep hitting a button to just look at a view. On top of that, I can’t even close the Google Ad panel at the bottom of the screen which takes up 20% of my iPad screen - your demo video even includes that! I used to like the app. Now I may cancel my auto-renewal.

The N&O has updated their app, and user experience, once again, and once again it is an epic fail. The opening from the publisher says it all, it has not been well received. What makes them think this will be different? Sorry N&O, once my subscription is over, so is my association with your paper. If you want to see what a good customer experience is, please look to just about any of your competitors; the times, post, WSJ, etc.

I have subscribed to N&O paper format for years and occasionally used the digital app while traveling. I recently switched to digital only due to outrageous cost of printed edition and the complicated bureaucracy of finding your subscription information. I appreciate the state and local coverage of the N&O. The digital version of the printed paper is a reasonable substitute for the printed paper. HOWEVER SERIOUS FLAW in the digital version is that when the pop up adds change, they move the screen causing the reader to lose their place in the article. Their very existence is annoying enough since the jump around. That would be tolerable if they did not cause the whole article to reformat on the page causing the reader frustration finding one’s way back into the article. My advice to readers is stick with New York Times for national and international articles and waste time only on local news.

All I get is a white screen then a crash in the new iOS 17. Update: after a few days this issue was fixed. App is great now.

I’ve subscribed to the News and Observer for over 30 years because I believe strongly in supporting local media. Over the last several years, the N&O has become decidedly less local. It now covers Raleigh and Charlotte since McClatchy owns both the N&O as well as the Charlotte Observer. To keep costs down, they frequently run stories in both papers. Several years ago, I stopped the print edition and went exclusively with the e-edition. It still costs more than WaPost. Generally, the electronic edition does decently work on my iPad, but a recent “upgrade” eats huge amounts of memory and the only way to free it up is to delete the app and reinstall it. Yes, I’ve tried to configure the settings to delete the file every day, but it makes no difference (ate 2.28 gigs last week). I’ve tried to contact them about this issue and have received no response. You can’t talk to anyone about issues with technology. They ignore emails unless it involves your subscription. It’s the only game in town if you want state and local news, but they act like they know that all too well- and treat you accordingly.

The previous edition read like a newspaper in my hands. Go directly to any section by pulling menu list down. Just like a newspaper. I saw no warning of the ‘improvements’ and unable to use paper as I expected. Finally called and emailed the executive editor, Mr Church, but never responded. My wife stumbled upon the revised access. Went to the app, which is not usable - who wants to select types of stories, etc? Just want to access the paper as I would in hand. What do I do now? Select the eedition and flip through all the pages until I get to the section desired. And why can’t the menu option be brought back as an option?

Links from push notifications break, trouble logging in, hard to find stories, random glitches.

Since the updated app was released I need to log in every day. When I log in from the page presented (ads to buy subscription + tiny tiny sign-in hyperlink) it opens to yesterday’s paper. There is no link to the archive from that webpage. It means I have to go back out and make sure I log in from my bookmarked link to get to the main log in page. I use an iPad. One of 2 fixes is required. 1) have the sign-in page shown on the subscription buying page go to the main log in page 2) add an archive link to the main page for each edition I make a pdf version each day to read the paper because the screen is very sensitive and I hate having articles suddenly open to a full article. I find it annoying & disruptive.

Articles close when I try to scroll, so I can’t read them. Articles in the e-edition, “home,” and on the website aren’t all the same. And that’s before talking about the mediocre quality of the actual articles and reporting.