BBC: World News & Stories: iPhone vs Android
BBC: World News & Stories gets 1k+ downloads a day worldwide (AppInsider estimate, October 2026, rounded down to a band).
BBC: World News & Stories by BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. is on both the App Store and Google Play. Here are both versions together: downloads, users, revenue, ratings and chart positions, store by store with totals.
Magazines & Newspapers FreeBBC: World News & Stories at a glance
AI summary written from our chart and store data, 2026-10-24. It can be wrong: check the numbers above.
A free, comprehensive news and media platform from BBC Studios offering live streams, podcasts, documentaries, and breaking news alerts for a global audience. The app maintains strong visibility in the Magazines & Newspapers category across diverse markets including Australia, Japan, India, and the US, while also ranking in the Grossing charts in Canada due to its paid subscription model.
Similar apps: CNN, Reuters, Sky News
App Store
App details
App privacy Measured
BBC: World News & Stories’s App Store privacy label declares 4 data categories used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, 6 linked to your identity and 4 collected anonymously.
As declared by the developer on the App Store — Apple requires every app to publish this label. We track changes over time.
Google Play
App details
BBC: World News & Stories downloads & installs
Both stores, worldwide. Bands are open; exact numbers are free with an account.
| Store | Downloads / day | Lifetime installs |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | 500+ | 10M+ |
| Google Play | 1k+ | 10M+ Measured |
| Total | 1k+ Confidence | 10M+ Confidence |
How this is calculated
Where BBC: World News & Stories's downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
Retention · share of new users still active
Time spent · per daily user
How this is calculated
In-app revenue
Worldwide, what users spend before Apple and Google take their fee.
| Store | Per day | Per month | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store | |||
| Google Play | |||
| Total | Confidence | 100% |
Business model: Ad-led
How BBC: World News & Stories makes money: subscriptions, one-off purchases and ads.
Top in-app purchases · App Store US, most popular first
| 1 | The Monthly Plan subscription | |
| 2 | The Annual Plan subscription |
Hidden keywords
BBC: World News & Stories shows up in App Store search (US) for 3 words that appear nowhere in its name, subtitle or developer name, so they are almost certainly in its private keyword field, and it ranks in the top 10 for at least one of them.
Where it ranks now
Both stores, across every country we track.
Ratings
Both stores. Store data, measured.
| Store | Rating | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| App Store | 4.5 ★ | 88k |
| Google Play | 3.1 ★ | 441k 33k written reviews |
| Both stores | 3.3 ★ weighted by ratings | 529k |
What users say about BBC: World News & Stories
From the 91 most recent App Store reviews in the US.
Users report severe technical failures where paid subscriptions are not recognized, forcing repeated logins or app reinstalls to access content. There is widespread frustration regarding the transition from a free service to a costly subscription model that currently offers poor reliability.
Mostly negative (12% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). People like it for good value. The main complaints are about price and subscriptions, and login and account problems. Recent reviews are more negative than earlier ones.
What people like
- Price & subscription: “Too many subscription articles”
Common complaints
- Price & subscription: “App kicks out subscribers”
- Login & account: “Constantly have to sign in”
- Crashes & bugs: “Paid subscription doesn’t work”
- Ads: “No ad-free subscription level”
About BBC: World News & Stories
BBC STORIES: The latest breaking news headlines, articles, podcasts and videos, including coverage of world News, UK News, elections, BBC Verify, BBC In-Depth and more. Stories and videos covering business, technology, health, culture, arts, travel, Earth, and more.
LIVE COVERAGE: Get live news and live global sport updates.
WATCH BBC NEWS: Live stream the BBC News channel for 24/7 world news coverage right from the app.
BBC RADIO: Listen live to BBC World Service and Radio 4 while using the BBC app or background audio when switching to another app. Catch up on demand with some previously aired radio shows via the radio schedule page.
BBC PODCASTS: Listen to, save and follow on-demand podcasts such as The Global Story and World of Secrets. For offline listening, download episodes to your mobile device. Find current and past episodes from news, politics, culture, true, crime, history, science and sport.
BBC VIDEOS: Watch BBC News videos, BBC Sport videos and video stories about climate, sustainability, science, health, technology, entertainment and history.
BREAKING NEWS ALERTS: Turn on breaking news notifications from BBC News.
DOCUMENTARIES: Now you can watch on-demand documentaries right in your BBC app. Stream acclaimed series and films from the BBC and beyond, including history, true crime, royalty, natural history, biographies and global affairs. (In-app purchase required)
MORE FEATURES:
- Save articles, podcasts, and videos for later in app on BBC.com
- Watch videos and listen to audio over cellular and wifi
- Share articles, stories, podcasts, and videos to social platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, and send via SMS and email
- Audio playback controls with sleep timer and live rewind
- Increase your font size for improved readability
- Dark mode available for a dark-background reading experience
- Opt-in or opt-out of breaking news alerts
SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS:
A paid subscription includes unlimited access to:
- Stream BBC News Channel
- Acclaimed documentaries
- Binge-worthy early access podcast episodes
- News, analysis and features
- Access across all your devices
Access your subscription on devices where the BBC app is available and on BBC.com. Choose a monthly or yearly plan. Your subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before renewal. You can manage your BBC subscription in the App Store.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
If you choose to receive breaking news alerts, a unique identifier relating to your device will be stored by Airship on behalf of the BBC to provide you with the service. You can choose to unsubscribe from breaking news alerts from BBC in your device’s ‘Notifications’ screen.
Our data processor AppsFlyer collects information on behalf of the BBC for attribution and analysis purposes. You can opt out from AppsFlyer tracking by filling out their ‘Forget My Device
BBC: World News & Stories iPhone
BBC: World News & Stories gets 1k+ downloads a day worldwide (AppInsider estimate, October 2026, rounded down to a band).
BBC: World News & Stories is #10 in Magazines & Newspapers Free in United States and charting in 14 of 30 countries we track.
Updated 25 Oct 2026 · rankings refresh through the day
24 Sep 2026
Magazines & Newspapers FreeBBC: World News & Stories at a glance
AI summary written from our chart and store data, 2026-10-24. It can be wrong: check the numbers above.
A free, comprehensive news and media platform from BBC Studios offering live streams, podcasts, documentaries, and breaking news alerts for a global audience. The app maintains strong visibility in the Magazines & Newspapers category across diverse markets including Australia, Japan, India, and the US, while also ranking in the Grossing charts in Canada due to its paid subscription model.
Similar apps: CNN, Reuters, Sky News
BBC: World News & Stories on the App Store
App details
App privacy Measured
BBC: World News & Stories’s App Store privacy label declares 4 data categories used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, 6 linked to your identity and 4 collected anonymously.
As declared by the developer on the App Store — Apple requires every app to publish this label. We track changes over time.
BBC: World News & Stories downloads
Worldwide, per day, and installs to date. The band is open; the exact number is free with an account.
How this is calculated
Where BBC: World News & Stories's downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
Retention · share of new users still active
Time spent · per daily user
How this is calculated
In-app revenue
Worldwide, what users spend in BBC: World News & Stories before Apple and Google take their fee.
How this is calculated
Business model: Ad-led
How BBC: World News & Stories makes money: subscriptions, one-off purchases and ads.
Top in-app purchases · App Store US, most popular first
| 1 | The Monthly Plan subscription | |
| 2 | The Annual Plan subscription |
Hidden keywords
BBC: World News & Stories shows up in App Store search (US) for 3 words that appear nowhere in its name, subtitle or developer name, so they are almost certainly in its private keyword field, and it ranks in the top 10 for at least one of them.
Where it ranks now
Every top chart it appears in across 30 countries.
| Country | Charts | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #10 |
| Australia | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #2 |
| Japan | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #7 |
 South Korea | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #6 |
| United States | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #31 |
| United States | NewsFree | #28 |
 India | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #7 |
| Japan | NewsFree | #24 |
| United States | NewsGrossing | #49 |
| Australia | NewsFree | #8 |
 Canada | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #8 |
 Germany | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #16 |
| Canada | NewsGrossing | #12 |
| Canada | Magazines & NewspapersGrossing | #13 |
| South Korea | NewsFree | #17 |
 France | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #16 |
 Italy | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #11 |
| Germany | NewsFree | #26 |
 Brazil | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #15 |
 Russia | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #12 |
| Canada | NewsFree | #16 |
 United Arab Emirates | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #7 |
| Brazil | NewsFree | #21 |
 Indonesia | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #14 |
| France | NewsFree | #32 |
| India | NewsFree | #28 |
 Saudi Arabia | Magazines & NewspapersFree | #17 |
| Italy | NewsFree | #26 |
| United Arab Emirates | NewsFree | #13 |
| Russia | NewsFree | #27 |
| Indonesia | NewsFree | #23 |
| Saudi Arabia | NewsFree | #26 |
Apps near BBC: World News & Stories on the chart
Magazines & Newspapers Free, around #10.
Ratings
App Store, worldwide.
What users say about BBC: World News & Stories
From the 91 most recent App Store reviews in the US.
Users report severe technical failures where paid subscriptions are not recognized, forcing repeated logins or app reinstalls to access content. There is widespread frustration regarding the transition from a free service to a costly subscription model that currently offers poor reliability.
Mostly negative (12% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). People like it for good value. The main complaints are about price and subscriptions, and login and account problems. Recent reviews are more negative than earlier ones.
What people like
- Price & subscription: “Too many subscription articles”
Common complaints
- Price & subscription: “App kicks out subscribers”
- Login & account: “Constantly have to sign in”
- Crashes & bugs: “Paid subscription doesn’t work”
- Ads: “No ad-free subscription level”
About BBC: World News & Stories
BBC STORIES: The latest breaking news headlines, articles, podcasts and videos, including coverage of world News, UK News, elections, BBC Verify, BBC In-Depth and more. Stories and videos covering business, technology, health, culture, arts, travel, Earth, and more.
LIVE COVERAGE: Get live news and live global sport updates.
WATCH BBC NEWS: Live stream the BBC News channel for 24/7 world news coverage right from the app.
BBC RADIO: Listen live to BBC World Service and Radio 4 while using the BBC app or background audio when switching to another app. Catch up on demand with some previously aired radio shows via the radio schedule page.
BBC PODCASTS: Listen to, save and follow on-demand podcasts such as The Global Story and World of Secrets. For offline listening, download episodes to your mobile device. Find current and past episodes from news, politics, culture, true, crime, history, science and sport.
BBC VIDEOS: Watch BBC News videos, BBC Sport videos and video stories about climate, sustainability, science, health, technology, entertainment and history.
BREAKING NEWS ALERTS: Turn on breaking news notifications from BBC News.
DOCUMENTARIES: Now you can watch on-demand documentaries right in your BBC app. Stream acclaimed series and films from the BBC and beyond, including history, true crime, royalty, natural history, biographies and global affairs. (In-app purchase required)
MORE FEATURES:
- Save articles, podcasts, and videos for later in app on BBC.com
- Watch videos and listen to audio over cellular and wifi
- Share articles, stories, podcasts, and videos to social platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, and send via SMS and email
- Audio playback controls with sleep timer and live rewind
- Increase your font size for improved readability
- Dark mode available for a dark-background reading experience
- Opt-in or opt-out of breaking news alerts
SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS:
A paid subscription includes unlimited access to:
- Stream BBC News Channel
- Acclaimed documentaries
- Binge-worthy early access podcast episodes
- News, analysis and features
- Access across all your devices
Access your subscription on devices where the BBC app is available and on BBC.com. Choose a monthly or yearly plan. Your subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before renewal. You can manage your BBC subscription in the App Store.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
If you choose to receive breaking news alerts, a unique identifier relating to your device will be stored by Airship on behalf of the BBC to provide you with the service. You can choose to unsubscribe from breaking news alerts from BBC in your device’s ‘Notifications’ screen.
Our data processor AppsFlyer collects information on behalf of the BBC for attribution and analysis purposes. You can opt out from AppsFlyer tracking by filling out their ‘Forget My Device
Latest updates
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BBC: World News & Stories Android
BBC: World News & Stories gets 1k+ downloads a day worldwide (AppInsider estimate, October 2026, rounded down to a band).
BBC: World News & Stories is #30 in News & Magazines Grossing on Google Play in United States and charting in 18 of 23 countries we track.
Updated 25 Oct 2026 · rankings refresh through the day
News & Magazines GrossingBBC: World News & Stories on Google Play
App details
BBC: World News & Stories downloads
Worldwide, per day, and installs to date. The band is open; the exact number is free with an account.
How this is calculated
Where BBC: World News & Stories's downloads come from Modelled
Last 30 days: organic search, browsing the store, features and paid ads.
Active users
All platforms, worldwide. Free with an account.
Retention · share of new users still active
Time spent · per daily user
How this is calculated
In-app revenue
Worldwide, what users spend in BBC: World News & Stories before Apple and Google take their fee.
How this is calculated
Business model: Ad-led
How BBC: World News & Stories makes money: subscriptions, one-off purchases and ads.
Top in-app purchases · App Store US, most popular first
| 1 | The Monthly Plan subscription | |
| 2 | The Annual Plan subscription |
Where it ranks on Google Play
Every top 200 chart it appears in across 23 countries.
| Country | Charts | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| United States | News & MagazinesGrossing | #30 |
| United States | News & MagazinesFree | #49 |
| Japan | News & MagazinesFree | #33 |
| Australia | News & MagazinesFree | #13 |
| South Korea | News & MagazinesFree | #31 |
| Saudi Arabia | News & MagazinesFree | #18 |
 Spain | News & MagazinesFree | #21 |
| Brazil | News & MagazinesFree | #35 |
| Russia | News & MagazinesFree | #28 |
| Italy | News & MagazinesFree | #29 |
 Taiwan | News & MagazinesFree | #23 |
 Mexico | News & MagazinesFree | #33 |
| India | News & MagazinesGrossing | #69 |
| Indonesia | News & MagazinesFree | #34 |
| India | News & MagazinesFree | #62 |
 Turkey | News & MagazinesFree | #25 |
 Vietnam | News & MagazinesFree | #18 |
| United Arab Emirates | News & MagazinesFree | #36 |
| Mexico | News & MagazinesGrossing | #73 |
| Saudi Arabia | News & MagazinesGrossing | #71 |
| Indonesia | News & MagazinesGrossing | #74 |
 Thailand | News & MagazinesFree | #34 |
| United Arab Emirates | News & MagazinesGrossing | #69 |
| Turkey | News & MagazinesGrossing | #69 |
 Netherlands | News & MagazinesGrossing | #77 |
| Thailand | News & MagazinesGrossing | #71 |
| Vietnam | News & MagazinesGrossing | #71 |
Apps near BBC: World News & Stories on the chart
News & Magazines Grossing, around #30.
Ratings
Google Play, worldwide.
What users say about BBC: World News & Stories
From the 147 most recent Google Play reviews in the US.
Mostly negative (33% of recent reviews give 4–5 stars). People like it for being fun, and its features and content. The main complaints are about price and subscriptions, and ads.
What people like
- Fun: “This is frustrating and makes listening less enjoyable”
- Features & content: “The BBC has a variety of programmes and is very often excellent”
- Login & account: “good app for verifying information”
- Design: “the minus is that user interface sucks”
Common complaints
- Price & subscription: “I have paid and subscribed”
- Ads: “2 long ads to listen to the news”
- Login & account: “Your login is STILL BROKEN”
- Crashes & bugs: “Your login is STILL BROKEN”
About BBC: World News & Stories
BBC STORIES: The latest, breaking news headlines, articles, podcasts and videos, including coverage of world News, UK News, elections, BBC Verify, BBC In-Depth and more. Stories and videos covering business, technology, health, culture, arts, travel, Earth, and more.
LIVE COVERAGE: Get live news and live global sport updates.
WATCH BBC NEWS: Live stream the BBC News channel for 24/7 world news coverage right from the app.
BBC RADIO: Listen live to BBC World Service and Radio 4 while using the BBC app or background audio when switching to another app. Catch up on demand with some previously aired radio shows via the radio schedule page.
BBC PODCASTS: Listen to, save and follow on-demand podcasts such as The Global Story and World of Secrets. For offline listening, download episodes to your mobile device. Find current and past episodes from news, politics, culture, true, crime, history, science and sport.
BBC VIDEOS: Watch BBC News videos, BBC Sport videos and video stories about climate, sustainability, science, health, technology, entertainment and history.
BREAKING NEWS ALERTS: Turn on breaking news notifications from BBC News.
*NEW* DOCUMENTARIES: Now you can watch on-demand documentaries right in your BBC app. Stream acclaimed series and films from the BBC and beyond, including history, true crime, royalty, natural history, biographies and global affairs. (In-app purchase required)
MORE FEATURES:
- Save articles, podcasts, and videos for later in app on BBC.com
- Watch videos and listen to audio over cellular and wifi
- Share articles, stories, podcasts, and videos to social platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, and send via SMS and email
- Audio playback controls with sleep timer and live rewind
- Increase your font size for improved readability
- Dark mode available for a dark-background reading experience
- Opt-in or opt-out of breaking news alerts
SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS:
A paid subscription includes unlimited access to:
- Stream BBC News Channel
- Acclaimed documentaries
- Binge-worthy early access podcast episodes
- News, analysis and features
- Access across all your devices
Access your subscription on devices where the BBC app is available and on BBC.com. Choose a monthly or yearly plan. Your subscription will auto-renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before renewal. You can manage your BBC subscription in the Google Play Store.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
If you choose to receive breaking news alerts, a unique identifier relating to your device will be stored by Airship on behalf of the BBC to provide you with the service. You can choose to unsubscribe from breaking news alerts from BBC in your device’s ‘Notifications’ screen.
Our data processor AppsFlyer collects information on behalf of the BBC for attribution and analysis purposes. You can opt out from AppsFlyer tracking by filling out their ‘F
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