2024-08-24
Fantastic editorial.
Love the articles which are not too long and completely compulsive reading.
Big fan of the app which allows me to read on the go. Thanks!
Updating
-8
#55 in Top Free Apps > Magazines & Newspapers
-18
#64 in Top Free Apps > News
-2
#13 in Top Grossing Apps > Magazines & Newspapers
-3
#16 in Top Grossing Apps > News
-12
#56 in Top Free iPad Apps > Magazines & Newspapers
-4
#48 in Top Free iPad Apps > News
+2
+2
#6 in Top Grossing iPad Apps > News
iPhone Screenshots
iPad Screenshots
Description
The Spectator app is a subscriber exclusive that gives you the best of news, comment and culture from the world’s oldest magazine.
Simply download the app and sign in.
App highlights:
• A daily mixture of political commentary, cultural criticism and humour
• Each issue of the weekly magazine published every Thursday at 4 a.m.
• Receive alerts on breaking news – and the latest from Spectator writers
• Listen to all Spectator podcasts and narrated articles
• Read articles when you’re offline
• Keep track of the articles you’ve already read
Join the party with Europe’s fastest-growing current affairs magazine.
Terms of use: https://www.spectator.co.uk/terms/
What's New in Version 8.0.3
Bug fixes and performance improvements
Seller
Name
The Spectator (1828) Ltd
Information
Developer
Categories
Version
8.0.3
Size
44.6 MB
Game Center
No
VPP Device Licensing
Yes
Rating
Rated 12+ for the following:
Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content and Nudity
Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humour
Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
Compatibility
iOS 15.0 or later
Devices
iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro, iPad Pro (Cellular), iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch) (Cellular), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11-inch), iPad Pro (11-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air (Cellular), iPad Air 2, iPad Air 2 (Cellular), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini Retina, iPad mini Retina (Cellular), iPad mini 3, iPad mini 3 (Cellular), iPad mini 4, iPad mini 4 (Cellular), iPad mini (5th Generation), iPad mini (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi), iPad Air (4th Generation) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi, iPad (8th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (9th Generation), iPad (9th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (6th Generation), iPad mini (6th Generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Air (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (10th generation), iPad (10th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi, iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPod touch (6th Generation), iPod touch (7th generation)
Languages
English
App Store: Customer Ratings
Ratings & Reviews
4.8 of 5 (19,986 Ratings)
App Store: Customer Reviews
2024-08-12
Why have they gone and messed up this app?
The organisation of this app has recently been modified in a way that makes reading the magazine from Cover to Cover impossible. Recommended articles appear annoyingly within each writing. Encouraging you to leave the article you are reading and dive off somewhere different. Up Next is used improperly to guide you to articles that do not appear next in the, order. Overall, I will now consider stopping my subscription to this magazine. Such a shame when the previous version works so well.
2024-07-26
great when travelling
this app give the best of both worlds - the usual great Speccie articles and the latest news. It means we get to the full Spectator experience when travelling. well worth having
2024-07-07
Worthy and sensible
The Spectator is one of the very last print media that still has anything intelligent to say. Almost all the rest of the legacy press has degenerated into cocktails of mindless mush and clickbait — and that includes the big names that were once the newspapers and journals of record.
2024-06-28
Why The Spectator?
Intelligent, pithy, challenging, amusing and ultimately informative. What more can you ask for?
2024-06-14
Can’t switch off comments
… which are awful
2024-06-06
RAM management bug
Terrible app, doesn't stay in RAM memory and reloads when I reopen it. I lose my article progress every damn time, making the website more favourable.
Please fix this. It's 2024 & I'm using the iOS 17.5.1 iPhone 15 Pro Max — this phone can run console games. Sort it out please. The Google Pixel app is also just as bad I've heard
2024-06-01
Outstanding Content
Amazing variety of well written articles is what makes The Spectator unique in British publishing ; nothing comparable
2024-05-29
Being well dressed
As someone who has been part of and connected to the upper end of menswear for 60 hearts- and still am!- Harry Mount is absolutely right. My most revered possession in my extensive wardrobe is a 3-piece mid-grey worsted suit, cut for me in 1995 by Louis Stanbury of Kilgours. There are nuanced touches which an expert would spot, but otherwise it is just a masterful cut which fits.
Today we here about sustainability a lot. Much of my wardrobe is 30- 25 years old and top quality lasts. Having said that you need skilful alteration tailors to keep them in trim.
Colin Woodhead
2024-05-28
Logging In
Stop asking me to sign in on the app or email link when I am a subscriber !!!
I simply want to open either on my usual devices and read.
If it continues I will cancel my subscription.
2024-05-23
Spot on analysis
Yes, I love the Spectator and it’s top of the form journalists. Enjoy 60 minutes to every week on Thursday. Todays did not disappoint.
2024-05-19
Review good magazine
I’ve always enjoyed the spectator the writing is excellent
2024-05-18
Best magazine!
This is where you can read articles written by sophisticated writers who know what they are talking about, write beautifully and amusingly and who are not afraid to express strong opinions. The editors are happy to publish contrasting views so prejudice is constantly challenged. It’s the most refreshing journalism out there.
2024-05-07
Seize
Said I had read 2 free articles before I had read one
2024-05-02
No boundaries in this rag
If you care about good writing from the most eclectic bunch ever assembled and whose adherence to groupthink only coalesces around the need to consume alcohol with or without food, this is the rag for you.
2024-05-01
App loses its place when phone locks
App is generally good, except for a problem of losing reading position when phone locks.
Other newspaper apps I use don’t have this problem.
2024-04-16
Memory of a Senile Goldfish
Why oh why can’t the app “remember” what I’m reading? If I leave the app - for five minutes or fifty minutes - when I go in I want to be in the same article I was last reading - ideally at the same point in the text. However - this app can’t remember anything almost all of the time. It’s the most irritating news/magazine app I use. The bright white splash screen is also unpleasant in a gloomy or dark environment - and wants to “splash” every time. What a shame as the content is pretty good.
2024-04-14
Consistently Superb
The quality of comment and analysis is dependably excellent as befits a long established organ mainly run by young bloods.
I couldn’t be without it.
2024-04-06
Excellent reading materials
I have been enjoying reading loads of different articles on the spectator for some time. I find excellent and interesting to read.
The magazine gives you a wide variety of reading materials.
2024-04-05
The only thing left to trust.
In this day and age, when one is being bombarded by propaganda from both sides in Ukraine and Gaza; afraid to walk down our own streets at weekends; governed by a gutless government and in danger of Christianity being sidelined, there is only one thing to turn to - trustworthy news from common sense writers at The Spectator.
2024-04-05
Finally a decent news app
This review is about the app itself not the content of the magazine which isn’t to everyone’s taste.
Fast, well designed app. The best feature is the app remembering which article you were last reading so upon returning you don’t need to hunt for it in vain. Would be nice if other app developers incorporated this tech in their apps.
2024-04-04
Spectator magazine -the app
The app used to be quite good but a few months ago it abandoned the contents page as an easy method of reading the magazine. Now, one is nudged from article to article. Doubtless there is some method of navigating that I haven’t deduced but I still miss being able to read what I want as opposed to what my iPad wants. The magazine is essential reading to provide a sensible view of the UK in the 21st century.
2024-04-01
Is it just me
Tap in and find the perspectives that articulate your own mucky vision of what might be going on ! Vibes resonate with clarity wit and lots more who knew ? I didn’t
2024-04-01
NoWhere else
MSM is dead. Unless you haven’t been paying attention. I fell in love with the Speccie when i picked it up on a flight many years ago. I subscribed instantly. What a change from the low level stuff being written everywhere else. I dont care too much if its from a left or right perspective. Is it too much to expect intelligent debate? This is my only forum and look forward to it every day.
2024-03-30
Give it a try
Don’t be put off by the “right-wing” label — the Spectator has some of the best original journalism in the UK. The app works smoothly and is a great way to access all the magazine’s text and audio content.
2024-03-29
A classic read
Great
2024-03-12
A place for comments? New subscriber
Just read Ross Clark article on gas plant’s but don’t know how to comment so I’ll do so here .
Suggest he rewind’s the Today programme on Sounds to hear the CEO of Octopus…
Maybe the Labour Energy people could take a note of this same Today clip ?
2024-02-22
Excellent
Excellent app
2024-02-21
Resting on its laurels
The Speccie used to be home to great commissioning and writers. Now it goes to the same old (literally) names churning out the same old boring comment you can read elsewhere for free. It’s dull, trite, unstimulating where it used to be informative, challenging, often agenda setting. I only subscribed for the free whiskey.
2024-01-27
Dodgy
An issue downloaded so it can be read offline doesn’t stay downloaded. Major problem which has existed for ages.
2024-01-23
How can we live without
Douglas Murray, Toby Young, Rod Liddle, Lionel Shriver, etc….
2024-01-05
New user
Slick website
2023-12-17
The last bastion of intellectual conservatism.
After cancelling my subscription to the Daily Telegraph because of the newspaper’s equivocal coverage of crucial issues such as the Islamic threat and its description of anyone left of Blair as “far right”, the Spectator is the only game in town.
Murray inspires me and Rod says it like it is and makes me laugh. Keep going!
2023-11-30
No comments
Sad …
2023-11-30
The best new magazine app
As a news junkie I’ve been looking for the right magazine app-this is the best-lots of articles everyday-podcasts etc which make it more attractive than buying the print magazine alone. There is also a growing diversity of contributors on the app. All in all great value.
2023-11-27
Leith
Just read a article on Brexit by the arch remainer Sam Leith bit rich of Fraser Nelson to be giving his liberal pals all this space in a conservative magazine
2023-11-24
B
Very good
Good mix of opinions.
Fair
2023-11-16
Long term reader
I’ve been reading the Speccie, latterly on Kindle, for over 50 years, missing the small size but it’s nice to see all the cartoons and pictures again. Amazon’s loss is our gain.
2023-11-16
Great thought provoking stuff…..
The Spectator is a great read. Its “Monday to Friday” staffers produce excellent level-headed factual analyses and commentary on virtually every major economic and political development in the UK (and many of those beyond our shores).
The Spectator comes from a principled position of small government and low tax but its analysis sometimes manages to point in a rather different direction.
Its more occasional correspondents provide opinion pieces covering political positions from the right to the just-left-of-centre of UK politics. Whilst rarely based on fact (and often on unsupported assertion) those from the right have the enormous benefit of reminding me why I continue not to vote for the Conservative Party…..
Keep up the good work Team Spectator!
2023-11-13
Home Secretary:
Suella is a second Mrs. Thatcher. Our next Prime Minister!
2023-11-09
Yes, Champagne for the Brain
Splendid read every week. And with daily updates and on Thursdays ... Andrew Neils week in 60 minutes. Much the best politics tv. BBC must have been mad to have sacked him.
A pleasure to dip through every week. And for someone immobile, like me, it’s better than a daily newspaper, with its morning and evening briefings. Agree about Speccie TV, Neil and all the others are excellent.
2023-11-09
Comments!
Where are the comments?!
2023-11-07
Reader’s Comments
One of the joys of the Speccie are the comments, many of which come from people sometimes more informed than the writer and are always a joy to read.
However neither my iPad nor my phone can receive these comments and so my reading pleasure is seriously reduced.
2023-11-06
90 year old
Typefaces an£ prtint colour @nd lack o& easy used on iPad make for. Problems fo4 oldies with failing sight. It used to be easier
2023-11-05
Only reliable news out there!
App works well on my slightly aged phone, I like the bookmark feature because there are plenty of stories which I want to re-read.
Of course Specy has possibly the most reliable news in the UK that is mainstream.
One app feature that would be good, would be the option to have notifications badges on the app icon.
2023-10-21
Intelligent and thoughtful comments
In an increasingly complex world, it’s reassuring to find reporting with histrionics.
2023-10-09
Obnoxious pop ups to review
Pestered to leave a review every single time I closed an article. Here’s your review.
2023-10-09
No links
Always having to click backwards from articles … i know you will get there - this is nothing more than a nudge
2023-10-03
Me and the Speccie
I’ve not missed an issue since the early 70s. Despite the rag’s undeniable ups and downs over the decades I stuck with it, since the quality of most of the writing and the display of intelligence is rare in current-day Britain. But it’s in a trough again at the moment and the app is vile - clunky and tiresome. I’m on the brink of giving up…
Henry Becket
2023-09-30
Never remembers where you are in an article
The app looks pretty but is hugely frustrating to use. Can’t put it down for a second, or quickly switch to another app and back, without it totally losing your place and reloading. Sometimes it doesn’t even remember what article you were on. Makes reading a chore.
2023-08-27
Where was my trail?
I downloaded the app to have a look as I am interested in the perspective of the writers, however the trail articles that it said I could read were quickly reduced to one. While reading an article it said I have one remaining free article to read. I finished the article and scrolled back to the top, only to see a message that informed I had ran out of free articles to trail. Just by read the whole of one I had used up my quota. This concerns me to what other issues would I have with my subscription if I were to subscribe. So reluctantly I have had to pass.
2023-07-06
Keeping track? Not likely
As an avid reader - one supposed plus point is the app “keeping track of articles you’ve read”. You would hope it would place a little symbol or icon next to them? Unfortunately it doesn’t. If you read an article on the Home Page there’s minor change of text colour (is that the indication??) and viewing the same article elsewhere (say Coffee House) doesn’t show any indication of being read.
Previous (major) app version used to place a small tick next to read articles. If you read something in Coffee House and it would show the tick on Coffee House and Home and everywhere else in the app. Not anymore. So very hard to keep track over a week what you’ve looked at.
Polite suggestions via feedback form to spectator team ignored with no reply. This really detracts from the quality of the app for those who like to read many if not all the articles published throughout a week. You can’t keep track.
As an explicitly stated plus point of the new app version - this is also factually inaccurate.
2023-05-02
Good weekly…
Good weekly. Touches on a some good subjects, and is actually pretty objective for a publication that is known to be more aligned with the right. I have no political affiliation or loyalty to any party, or any side of the political spectrum - I take issue with left, right and centre. But I really just want to read well-written, erudite journalism which I feel The Spectator offers. I don’t seek out publications that confirm or pander to my beliefs. That adds nothing to my world view, and I am very much someone who likes to understand both sides of bipartisan arguments. The app is looks very classy and sophisticated (as is standard for The Spectator’s publication style), and it is a very easy app to navigate. I also subscribe to NS and I am very satisfied with both. Thanks Spectator!
2023-04-09
Light of journalism
In today’s media it’s hard to find what we used to know as journalism. We understand and accept to some degree, that news papers and the folks that write for them have always had a political taste one way or the other.
But today it’s gone Crazy, lies, hatred and propaganda fills our ears. The Spector, is for me, a ray of hope in dark times. Not forgetting that humour, particularly in adversity, is important, actually I would say vital, as an ex Royal Marnie Commando, It brings about humility in the simplest of ways, and seeing the world though “Human’ eyes is lacking in our new Snapchat world. I would unreservedly recommend the Spectator and it’s elite group of Journalists to any reader.
2023-03-05
Up and Down.
I first read the Speccy in the mid 70s. It delights me, then heads off too far right and I swap the Statesman for it : but not for long. This became the pattern of my affair with the Speccy. This is interspersed with my love/ hate with Catholicism when the Tablet breaks the pattern and off we go again.
I’m close to detoxing from religion - but not from the Spectator . Giving offers to kids or students is like hooking the vulnerable on fags. Now, the old and frail; that’s a different matter but might put the opposition out of business.
2023-01-22
Why can’t you read comments through the app?
This is a very readable app and very reliable. But, I can’t see the comments left on articles. This means I increasingly need to log in to the web version to see the comments on an article, making the need for the app almost pointless.
If I am missing something I am happy to delete or amend this review. But if it is the case you can’t see comments on articles then I feel this app is seriously lacking something and is worse than just using the website.
2023-01-13
Longevity of excellence
The Spectator was first published in 1711. Although I turned 50 last year I’m not old enough to know how good it was back then. But very few things last that long unless they’re good. In addition, when there is huge competition for our attention (and therefore cash) publications and podcasts that don’t change and innovate won’t survive. The Spectator, under the reassuring editorship of Fraser Nelson, has managed to navigate the tricky path of sticking to its founding principles whilst maintaining its relevance to today.
Thought provoking, informative, occasionally funny and aways beautifully written, every article is worth reading.
If you are interested in politics, the opinions of well read writers and contributors, with a nod to the arts, culture and food and drink, then there really is no other publication that betters it.
A must read
James Usher
2022-12-26
New update doesn’t keep downloaded editions, whatever you say
Updated review: No, Developer, the problem has not been resolved. Every time I open the app I have to redownload the latest edition (and sometimes older editions as well) or they will not open offline. My guess is that every time you update any part of the magazine it requires that the changes be downloaded before the magazine can be opened.
This is a good manifestation of what everyone is currently saying: you don't seem to test the app properly (or at all) before inflicting it on the rest of us. Rather than attempting to defend the indefensible why not just try it properly for yourselves?
............
If I download the weekly magazine I want to be able to read it offline as I always used to be able to do. Instead, only an hour or two after it is downloaded the edition shows up as needing to be downloaded again and cannot be read offline, so cannot be read on the underground or on a plane. That can't be the intention (or if it is then the thinking is idiotic) so can this please be sorted out?
2022-11-25
Great Mag, rubbish App
What is it with the Speccie and it’s Apps? The latest version seems to have solved a number of the previous issues but that wasn’t good enough, they had to introduce some new annoyances. The latest version doesn’t follow the magazine at all, it jumps all over the place and you suddenly find yourself in Coffee House instead of the next article that you were expecting. Anyone who is familiar with the hard copy will find this very frustrating to use. 5 stars for the mag, as ever.
2022-10-23
New version in Sept 2022 not good!
Having registered my frustration with the new app the developers got in touch. They’re stepping up and ensuring the future app will be better. Kudos to them for that and I look forward to helping in any way. Having some user testing and feedback before releasing it is a great idea and I’m happy to go back to 5 stars on this basis!
Yes the new app has some quirks, but bear with it for now. The future one will come along soon enough and should be great!
2022-10-07
No longer works properly
I have used this app for a number of yers and it was fine. I could download the weekly magazine, and read it from cover to cover in exactly the same way as reading the printed version. I can’t do this now. The articles all over the place, and don’t seem to follow a straightforward pattern. Bring back the previous version, please.
2022-09-29
Your former format was easier to read
I preferred your former format which laid out the articles on one page, enabling me to pick and choose which to read and in what order.
I do like being able to access the latest news instead of opening Coffee Shop et al from my email programme.
I do enjoy the Spectator and would not want to do without it.
2022-09-29
App Keeps Deleting Downloads
Writing a second review after having spent the past few days travelling and attempting to use the new App, with little success. Twice I had downloaded the latest edition of the magazine, ready to be read on a flight, and both times the download had been deleted when I attempted to start reading.
This morning I double-checked the magazine was downloaded, in case it was my own technological illiteracy, and it’s done so again! Close to useless if you’re planning on using the app to read whilst offline/travelling.
2022-09-24
Comments gone and display problems
In my view any app absolutely must offer - at minimum - the functionality and usability of the website version. If it doesn’t then what’s the point? So removing comments from the app is a big no no for me, and is one of those baffling decisions that is likely to infuriate a lot of your readers. My second gripe is about how the app actually displays on the home screen. Because you seem to have renamed it as “The Spectator Magazine” it doesn’t fit properly and displays as “TheSpectator…” Clumsy and inelegant. Just change the app name back to The Spectator, please.
2022-09-22
Why fix what ain’t broke?
The previous version of the app was great, perfect even, so why change? “We’ve listened” I am told by the developers. Well, it’s gone backwards. I now can’t read the magazine in order, I have to jump around by section. How annoying. And all my favourite columnists quick search function? Gone. And searching for articles by authors by clicking on their name? Gone. Worst of all, it reloads every time one leaves and returns to the app, so one loses the article they were reading. The ironic thing is that this debacle would make a perfect article for The Spectator itself. Fortunately the magazine remains excellent, just such a shame they wasted money on an unnecessary “upgrade” to the app. Five stars for the magazine, one star for the new app.
2022-09-20
IT department - don’t spring new apps without any previous warning…
IT depts justify their existence by making, in the main, unnecessary and superfluous alterations to something that worked perfectly well in the beginning, and the new Spectator app is no exception.
This is not to say the original app was perfect; it wasn’t. But the second revision (also unasked for, except possibly by the IT department) removed, for example, the ability to search the etymology of words through a Wikipedia link which was a great asset in the first app.
After many complaints - and I was an early and vigourous participator -this facility was restored, but only grudgingly and to a measly degree.
This current version jumps all over the place, takes the reader back to the beginning unasked, cannot find the readers previous location without a degree of accuracy and flickers and flits around the screen like a newborn colt.
I have two recommendations to IT staff. Firstly if something works don’t muck around with it, and secondly don’t alter things unless the customers ask you to. Always remember, the customer knows the app far better than you think you do - they are the ones who use it, not you.
2022-07-14
Multiple problems
The old app was fine — but this one is riddled with bugs and design flaws. It can’t play downloaded podcasts. It doesn’t allow you to read in full screen, but always has bars at the top and bottom (unlike the old app). It can’t handle verse layout, but re-wraps all lines into prose format, making it very difficult to read anything written in verse, e.g. regularly in the weekly Competition (again, the old app handled this correctly). I have also had multiple issues with crashing and failure to download issues when it says it has.
My advice: get the Spectator Australia app; you can access the Australian edition with a UK subscription; this includes the full UK edition, plus additional Aus content you can ignore if you wish, but uses the old app which works so much better. It doesn’t do podcasts or Coffee House though — but then this app can’t play the podcasts it downloads anyway, so no loss there.
2022-05-19
Shares incorrect link
As much as I love the app, it’s simple red and white yet catching bold letters there is a little improvement required.
Somehow, whenever I try to share some write on Facebook or WhatsApp, it does not share the targeted link but will share some other link from the same day.
Example if I wanted to share link to the article “x” from today, it will share the content of “article “y” from today itself.
Developers, please look into this.
2022-03-17
Night Mode Please
Brilliant magazine with a brilliant app. However, it would be greatly appreciated for those of us read before bed time, to see an update that brings night mode! Also I’d like to see the iPad version of the app not a mere enlarged version of the iPhone app. Is it possible to make the iPad version more like an e-magazine rather than a webpage? All in all thank you for all the brilliant covers and articles. Keep up the good work!
2021-11-06
IT Dudes - what’s up with the app?
Used to be fine, if a bit slow, and then the new version 5 came out which had weird counter-intuitive functionality, but then we got 5.1.4… this one turns my phone (iPhone 12) into a hand-warmer which, to be fair, is nice at this time of year, but it also drains down the battery extremely quickly. Yes, it is definitely this app. I’ve tried restarting and with all other apps closed. It’s definitely the spectator app. To top it off, this weekend, it seems to be crashing on a whim. Content obviously still excellent, but hard to consume with the above issues. Please fix it soon! Thanks
2021-09-13
Okay but problems that need addressing
The scrapbook is back but it’s broken the tab system. You used to be able to customise the tab order and swipe across to move between tabs. The scrapbook tab doesn’t support swiping and can’t be hidden. You can’t read the coffee house articles offline either. This isn’t great if your commuting and don’t have connectivity.
2021-08-24
Spectator app - more means less and new means worse
The old app worked which is all you want. The new one never remembers where you finished reading an article, always defaults to the news page when you want to go back to the magazine. Sometimes the current edition doesn’t even appear and then returns the next day. Who on earth developed this app - can’t have been a reader? Have gone back to reading in print.
2021-08-12
The app is a disaster
The Spectator represents the very best of British journalism but this app is the clumsiest they have produced so far. Counter-intuitive and irritating, you download a copy of the magazine for a journey and then find that 2 pages in it won’t let you continue without logging on, even though the whole point of downloading it was in order to read offline. So stuck on a train without internet access, you can’t read the magazine you have just downloaded in order to read!
2021-08-01
5/5 for the magazine, but 2/5 for the app
Great magazine - yes there is a right wing slant, but the world’s oldest regular publication has a free thinking and libertarian attitude which is a refreshing change from so many closed minds these days. However ...
The new app simply isn’t up to scratch, and in fact is a step backwards from the old app. Frequent issues include the download not working properly, the refusal to remember what page you were last on, and random freezes/crashes. But when it works it’s a joy.
2021-07-06
You rock!
You were perfect. Well, as close to perfect as I thought rational to expect. The one bugbear I had was no dictionary lookup through pressing a word. A serious shortcoming for me given the stellar quality of your articles. And the fact English is my fourth language and there was many a sophisticated turn of phrase or a word I simply didn’t know. And that took me forvever to note down and look up. Being able to forego manual lookup is a dream come true! Thank you!
2021-06-28
Unutterably awful new app
The previous app was excellent - simple and functional and permitted quick and efficient access to the magazine and to coffee house articles. The new app is a rage-inducing piece of software junk. For example: when the new magazine arrives, access to the current week’s edition is lost; the magazine never remembers the last page I was reading; it’s all mindbuggeringly slow to load - critical when over a snatched breakfast is the only Spectator-reading opportunity of the day; never mind this paying subscriber - even the app itself frequently can’t be bothered to wait for itself to load and closes itself down. And I could go on. The current software developer needs to be sacked (and preferably disembowelled slowly with a blunt spoon) and the old app brought back. It is impossible to read and enjoy the Spectator like this.
2021-06-24
The magazine content is excellent. The new app is rubbish .
One wonders why it was necessary to turn the previously efficient app into something this complicated. There is no title page, so you can’t access previous articles, you can’t turn it sideways to see tiny cartoon writing, it sends a different article from the one you want to forward... some irritations are glitches, others seem fundamental.
Having had a dual paper/digital subscription for about ten years, I’m experiencing the rage of being intentionally thwarted by the Spectator for the first time. Please revert. I’m not a Luddite, but these ‘advances’ are a significant setback in user-friendly access.
2021-06-13
I finally got it to work!!
I’ve been a Spectator reader for many years, but the new app doesn’t allow me to read when I’m not connected to the internet. Is it just me? I download the magazines and can read them when online but if I’m in the garden, on an aeroplane, by the beach with no internet it defaults to the login screen and gets stuck. Any ideas?
*** UPDATE *** After a few emails to tech support, who were very helpful, if you delete the app and reinstall it, everything works perfectly. You will no longer be asked to login all the time and can happily read off-line. Well done Speccy!
2021-05-21
Awful new app - goodbye Wood, hello Trees
Used to look forward to Thursday mornings - new Spectator digital edition arriving. Into the (previous) app where the content was listed - a nice clear overview with enough info to decide whether or not to read.
Not any more. The new app is designed to make you trawl through everything at tree level - if metaphors can be mixed - with the same article appearing several times as you wander about. What overviews/menus do exist have too little information to enable a quick decision.
Some readers may enjoy the discovery method, but I’m afraid I’m not one of them, so cheerio Spectator - until you bring back a more structured app.
2021-05-14
Brilliant Magazine, wish the new app was more stable
Refreshing to read interesting writing on on wide range of topics from a multiple perspectives.
New app is really unstable.
A few problems so far: “Pick up where you left off” does not work with downloaded magazine issues App is annoyingly unstable, can’t read a full issue without it closing and restarting a few times Dark/night reading mode would be a great addition
2021-04-15
Balanced and informative
Anyone who thinks the Spectator is just for people for lean right if centre has never read the magazine. It has very well written and informative articles from a broad spectrum of contributors (sometimes much to the annoyance of the readers - just check the comments pages!). I find it an excellent source of balanced analysis on current events - going beyond the emotive twittosphere. So much so that I felt compelled to write this, my first review!
2020-10-27
Podcast playback poor
Magazine reading and latest news is great. However, listening to podcasts is poor. There is a tab for audio leading to podcasts which you can play. However, clicking it leads to another subscription site upon which the Spectator log in does not work. You can play the podcasts but playback stops as soon as screen times out or you close the screen to perhaps go for a walk while listening. There is also an absence of normal podcast control such as skip forward / back. I really want to browse and use all content within one app so perhaps this needs to be addressed.
2020-09-20
Reeks of London Bias
Some of the writers are ok as long you can stick a one note myopic viewpoint. It claims to be irreverent to authority but if you read this rag long enough it is apparent that it largely reflects the perceptions of right wing, Brexiteer Londoners who fancy themselves a version of intellectual free thinking. Judging by the remarks in the online Comments section, The Spectator attracts unedifying numbers of the British alt-right: bigots, bullies and intolerant boneheads seeking to shout down with scatological insult anyone with a different point of view. The overall tone is unpleasant. The Spectator promotes the ideal of freedom without responsibility of the individual, whether in regard to personal behaviour, to one’s neighbours and to the wider community, or to the outlying natural world. Its fig leaf is wit, by which the writers seek to seduce the reader to The Spectator’s louche perspective. Vile, in a word.
2020-07-04
Well
It’s the kind of magazine whose unpredictability, married with challenge, enthusiasm and perception, means that I invariably start reading at any point, any week, with whatever catches my eye, which is intrinsically attractive and entertaining and keeps me subscribing even when I feel that it’s time for a break after at least 25 years.
I’m reminded of someone who wrote to a Robert Robinson radio programme saying ‘I’ve been listening to your programme for 25 years - it’s crap”. I know what he means. But the Spectator isn’t crap.
2020-06-11
Fantastic Weekly & Great Website
I stopped reading magazines many years ago when I got fed up with Men’s Health and FHM.
But back in late 2015 I started finding politics a lot more exciting when Trump and the Brexit Referendum started dominating the internet.
By 2016 I was reading the Spectator regularly and checking the website most days. Whilst I think the magazine is a tad expensive at £4.95 an issue, at least if you buy it every week, a monthly subscription fee of £9.99 for unlimited (online) access to the website and unlimited access to ALL back issues (going back as fat as 1800 and something) is a heck of a bargain.
Remember not all web articles feature in the magazine so the online subscription gives you everything. There is also a free podcast and daily email news updates, so instead of wading through a load of rubbish and adverts online each day I just rely on email updates each day to keep me up to date with what’s going on.
If you don’t want to buy the magazine each week or don’t have time to read it, go for the cheaper monthly digital subscription and have EVERY issue and article in your phone! Great value and highly recommended.
2019-07-30
Brilliant broad church polemics and very amusing too!
I look forward to The Spectator magazine and read it from cover to cover. There are some writers I disagree with like Matthew Parrish, and others that are left wing. But it all adds up to a broad spectrum take on life in Great Britain and elsewhere, today. The writers are well informed and usually amusing and cover politics, economics, cookery, books and the arts, crosswords, cartoons and a myriad of varying topics every week. A great investment and you can also download the blogs and videos and enjoy them on your iPad etc.
The Spectator also champions freedom of the press, the basic tenet of a healthy democracy, and freedom of speech. So 10/10 as far as I’m concerned.
2019-04-03
Spectator - a curate’s egg of a journal
There are some great columnists writing for the Spectator and these are to be found in the first third of the journal. There is an awful lot of padding in the Arts section which is more or less entirely London centric and provides irrelevant comment on shows to be seen that are completely unaffordable excursions for most people. Deborah Ross is the pick of the reviewers for cinema. The books reviewed are mostly dull tomes that few people other than the reviewers will read and even fewer people will buy. The latter pages of the Spectator make a stab at levity with the High and Low life columns which are readable. The chess and bridge sections are waste of space. I have no idea who would be entertained by Melissa Kite’s column and this I would junk along with the wine and turf pieces. More Rod Liddle and Lionel Shriver would be good.
2018-12-11
Pretty much the only thing worth reading these days! I LOVE IT
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the kind of person who only reads views that are likely to be in line with my own beliefs. I enjoy the M Paris column as much as the Delingpole/Liddle pages, as an example.
The whole publication is beautifully crafted. Even though it’s available free on Readly (A few days old). I prefer to pay for the app (subscriptions ) and support the work of Fraser Nelson and his wonderful team.
2018-04-26
Crap app
The magazine is as it should be but the app is really irritating. It’s slow, and doesn’t allow subscribers automatic access to things like coffee house and the daily updates. I get tempting emails about these about three times a day but to read them I have to log in with a long forgotten password. The point of an App is that it is an automatic portal to a virtual world. This app only takes you half way.
Point two - it won’t let me post this review without using a stupid ‘nickname’ and everyone I choose seems to be taken.
2018-04-17
Travel Essential
I hunt out WiFi hotspots every Thursday whenever, wherever I travel - breakfasts on Thursdays are thus enriched and extended by the inclusion of the Spectator. Being rather old this method of delivery still adds a touch of miracle to Thursdays, the more so when I’m muddling around somewhere in the depths of India. I love the way that articles are unpredictable and are able to infuriate, amuse, puzzle and/or challenge. Such fun...
2017-07-25
Best All Round Commentary and Opinion Magazine
I used to get the Spectator online via my Kindle, which disappeared along with the all the online editions I had paid for and was saving for bad times. This app is much better, and while I wouldn't be without the print version for reading in the bath, it's great to be able to access all their outstanding pieces whenever I have a free moment.
I don't think one can find better commentary and opinion online or in print, and I look forward to reading it each week, even if I don't always agree with every point of view.
2017-06-25
Good Read and a Good Platform to Enjoy It On
I've long been a subscriber to The Spectator, in more recent years on my kindle but something seemed missing. Those that know the magazine know it isn't exactly bristling with graphics or photos but is peppered just enough to be interesting and engaging. This was something that was missing in the kindle version but definitely recaptured on the app. It feels like I've got my magazine back with all the benefits of accessing it online. Well done Speccie team.
2017-06-07
Improved app for a great magazine
The new version is an improvement because it returns me accurately to where I last left off reading the magazine, and has a larger font. I am not so keen on the more complicated procedure for deleting/archiving old issues. But it's great that my postal subscription continues to allow me also to read The Spectator on an iPad at no extra cost.