Evening Standard relaunches apps for reading flexibility

The Evening Standard launched a new version of its mobile app yesterday to enhance its sharing features, functionality and editorial offering.

The new app for iPhones and Android smartphones has also been developed with smaller screens in mind, as previously the Evening Standard mobile app was built for both phones and tablets.

The app, which was last redesigned over a year ago to become a "hybrid" of digital and print, acts as a complementary service to the Evening Standard newspaper and website, said Zach Leonard, digital managing director of the London commuter paper and sister title The Independent.

Apps still have an interesting value depending on how you build [them]Zach Leonard, London Evening Standard

"We view the app as not trying to replicate what we do on our website because that's really curated in real-time," he said, "but instead to represent curated editions several times through the day."

The app will update six or seven times a day if the day's news is significant, he said, highlighting the "flexible aspect" of publishing today.

"The curation of the app is all about ensuring that there is a quick and easy way to get to all the critical sections of the content," he explained.

The app has also developed its commenting and sharing features, as "two-way interaction is really critical", and will include more stories following feedback from Evening Standard readers.


Screenshot from the iOS version of the new Evening Standard app

Leonard said an update which will enable users to watch in-article videos will be rolled out today on iOS, with an Android version following next week.

The video section of the app has also been updated to include more content from London Live, the local TV station launched last year by ESI Media, the commercial arm of the Standard.

The app will continue to offer the PDF version of the newspaper, as well as supplements like the ES Magazine, which is made available to app users the day before publication.

"The app in some ways is a practical extension for people who otherwise can't get a newspaper," said Leonard, as it was initially built with the aim of ensuring "the print experience was preserved" as feedback revealed the popularity of print supplements and sections familiar to readers.

But as some news outlets are closing their mobile apps or launching without them, where does the Evening Standard's app fit into its digital offering?

"Our view is that [different platforms] are complementary to each other, and we don't intend to reduce one down and favour the other."

In November, for example, a total of 64,973 unique browsers used the Evening Standard's app on different devices, while 56 per cent of its 69 million web traffic came from mobile, according to figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

He said Evening Standard readers also prefer to access the publication in multiple formats, and the app can become the go-to platform if they miss a print copy.

"Apps still have an interesting value depending on how you build [them]," he said.

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