Philly.Com Has a New Mobile App, and It’s Not Bad

Philadelphia Media Network’s Philly.com isn’t known for having the prettiest news website in the world. But it just soft-launched a brand-new 2.0 version of its iPhone mobile app, and it ain’t bad.

The app is simple, readable, and uncluttered, with an opening screen that defaults to the most recently posted stories — a boon for those who like to check for quick jolt of news multiple times per day. Its bookmark and sharing tools are user-friendly. It’s easy to increase or decrease the font’s size across sections (just pinch it, like you’re blowing up or minimizing a picture).

The downsides? The story font and section page are fairly bland. One reviewer also complained that, while “the app is better overall … it’s frustrating you can’t read/post comments using the app” at the moment. Given how swamptastic the Philly.com comments section is, we’re not sure that’s a bad thing.

“We are working through our feature release schedule and have commenting on the roadmap, along with some other options that we believe will round out the app,” says George Kurtas, PMN’s chief information officer. “We wanted to get a much-needed update into the hands of our readers quickly while we continue development against that roadmap.”

The new app requires iOS 8.0 or later. Kurtas says an Android version will be available shortly.

Follow @HollyOtterbein on Twitter.