Flipboard: The Social Magazine App Review

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  • Flipboard: The Social Magazine
  • Our Rating: 4 / 5

Updated 05-10-2023

Version 4.3.11
Google Play Downloads 831,869,324
Developer Flipboard
Screenshot From Our Flipboard: The Social Magazine Review

Overview

Flipboard is a popular news and magazine app that beautifully organizes content based on user preferences, social media interactions, and other sources. The app's ID is flipboard.app and its genre is News & Magazines. It's available for both Android and iOS devices, and has been downloaded millions of times from the Google Play Store.

Features

Flipboard includes several features that make it stand out from other news and magazine apps:

Personalized News Feed

Flipboard allows users to discover and read articles and stories from a variety of trusted sources in a visually appealing way. The app personalizes a news feed where users can choose specific interests, topics or publications to follow. Flipboard curates a mix of relevant and diverse articles every day.

Social Media Integration

Users can also integrate their social media accounts into Flipboard. They can see what their friends are sharing, and get updates from people they follow. Users can also connect their LinkedIn profiles to stay on top of professional news and insights.

Built-in Search Functionality

If there's something specific users want to read about, they can search for keywords inside the app. Flipboard filters results by relevance, recency, popularity and relevance topics.

Magazine-style Layouts

The app displays articles using magazine-style layouts with attractive graphics and customizable themes. Users can select themes that match their style or preferences. With the Paid version, users can customize to more personal-looking Magazine covers and text appearance.

Offline Reading

Flipboard also allows readers to save articles to read later when there is no internet connection. This is especially useful for travelers and commuters who want to catch up on their reading during long journeys.

Pros

There are many pros to Flipboard:

Easy to Use

The app is very user-friendly and intuitive. It takes just a few minutes to set it up and start browsing. It doesn't require any complex navigation or searching for specific websites; all the news and stories are in one place.

Free Version

Flipboard's primary features are available for free. Users can read, browse, and save articles without paying anything. The app includes several ads, but they don't interfere with the reading experience.

Great Content Variety

One of the best things about Flipboard is the selection of content available. Users can choose from thousands of topics, magazines and trusted sources and curated experiences.

Customizable User Experience

Users have more control over their reading experience than they would on other news apps. They can choose themes, adjust font sizes and select magazine covers.

Cons

Despite its numerous advantages, there are also some cons to consider when using Flipboard:

Ads are so Intrusive

Some users may find the ads too intrusive, especially when reading articles on their smartphones. It is advisable to buy the paid version.

Curation Seems Biased at Times

Some users have reported encountering biased content or content that was difficult to discern out of a feed. So, the accuracy and the fairness on their ethnocentric personalized feeds must be under review.

Limited Social Media Integration

Although Flipboard allows users to connect their social media accounts, it cannot compete with dedicated social media apps when it comes to features and updates.

Comparison to Similar Apps

Flipboard is similar to several other news and magazine apps:

Google News:

Google News sources articles from a variety of publishers, but the stories are not as customized to the reader's interests, and there is less of a visual experience. Flipboard offers a more visually-appealing way to read news content and allows for easy curation of genres for the feed

Feedly:

Feedly is another popular RSS reader app that allows users to follow specific websites, blogs and podcasts. However, Flipboard grants users to follow topics or sub-topics inside different publications or trusted curators, making it easier for them to explore news outside their echo chamber.

Inoreader:

Inoreader is another RSS reader app that offers a personalized news feed, podcast integration, and social media integration. Similarly to Flipboard has use of various curators, helping users discover new news sources and topics.

Tips for Using the App

Customize Your Topics and Sources

To get the most out of Flipboard, it's important to customize your topics and sources. This would help in receiving the information the user needs.

Connect With Your Social Media Accounts

Users can connect their social media accounts to Flipboard to see what their friends and people they follow are sharing. Connect to LinkedIn makes it ideal for keeping personal and professional news and insights in one place.

Create Your Own Magazine

The paid version lets users create their magazines containing articles and stories that they can choose themselves. You can share these with others who read Flipboard, making it easier to collaborate with friends and colleagues

Conclusion

Flipboard is an exceptional news app that offers a visually-pleasing and customizable way to keep up with the world's events. It has some cons to consider, but overall, it's worth the download for those who want to have diverse personalized curated feeds or magazines without paying any fees. However, users could benefit in purchasing the paid version where they all features come ad-free, and more curated selections can be made.