
SmartNews: Live News & Rewards for Android
SmartNews: Live News & Rewards is a news and magazines app from SmartNews, Inc. for reading personalized breaking news, local stories, and earning daily rewards.
SmartNews: Live News & Rewards is for readers who want breaking news, local stories, and politics coverage in one feed. The free app runs on Android 8.0 and later, takes about 80 MB, and lets users read the news offline. Readers can earn points by reading articles and exchange them for gift cards or charity donations.
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SmartNews: Live News & Rewards is a news and magazines app by SmartNews, Inc. that aggregates personalized stories from premium publishers and rewards reading activity with points. The app addresses the problem of scattered and overwhelming news coverage by curating feeds around user interests and location, pulling from outlets such as Bloomberg, Reuters, AP, TIME, and The Verge. It reinforces regular reading through a points system: users earn rewards for daily reading missions and can exchange them for retail gift cards or donations to charities. Dedicated sections for local news, travel, politics, entertainment, sports, and health keep the content organized, while editorial validation by journalists is intended to maintain a dependable standard of reporting.
Key features
- Earn points by reading articles and completing daily reading missions, then redeem them for gift cards or charity donations
- Location-based local coverage of government, traffic, weather, politics, school boards, restaurants, and cultural events
- Personalized news feed with topics spanning travel, sports, health, entertainment, and politics
- Election coverage across the political spectrum, including candidates, ballot measures, debates, and voter information
- Team-specific notifications for football, basketball, golf, tennis, soccer, and other sports
- Content from thousands of publisher partners, with stories validated by award-winning journalists
- Daily curated digest and trending destination, travel hack, and flight deal stories for trip planning
How to install
- Tap the download button on this page to save the APK file, which is about 80 MB.
- If Android prompts you, allow your browser or file manager to install apps from unknown sources in the system settings.
- Open the downloaded APK file from your notifications or file manager.
- Tap Install and wait for the installation to finish.
- Open the app and set up your news preferences.
- Make sure your device runs Android 8.0 or newer before installing.
Pros
- Broad selection of established publishers in one feed
- Rewards program that converts reading into gift cards or donations
- Useful local and election coverage tailored to the user's area
- Notifications for favorite sports teams
- Free to download and use
- Editorial validation adds a layer of quality control
Cons
- Contains ads
- Includes in-app purchases
- Requests a wide range of permissions, including location, phone, camera, microphone, storage, and device ID
- Rewards program is limited to eligible US regions and may be changed or discontinued at any time
- Content rated Teen, which may not suit all audiences
Latest changes
The latest update focuses on performance improvements and bug fixes to make your reading experience smoother. Stability has been fine-tuned so you can browse your personalized news feed with less interruption. Enjoy a more responsive, polished app overall.
Older versions
| Version | Size | Requires Android | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.4.0 | 17 MB | 4.4 | Jun 27, 2026 |
| 25.4.30 | 80 MB | 8.0 | Apr 23, 2025 |
| 24.8.35 | 62 MB | 8.0 | Aug 23, 2024 |
SmartNews is suited to readers who want a single app covering both local and national stories from recognizable outlets, and who are comfortable with a personalized, location-aware feed. It is also aimed at users interested in earning small rewards for their reading habits, particularly those living in eligible US regions who appreciate gift cards or charitable donations as incentives. The extensive sports notifications and election tracking make it useful for fans and politically engaged readers, while the travel and entertainment sections appeal to those planning trips or following pop culture.
Complete the daily reading missions consistently if you want to accumulate points faster, and set notifications only for the teams and topics you follow so your feed stays focused.
Permissions
FAQ
How do the daily rewards work and who can participate?
You earn points by reading articles and completing daily reading missions, and you can then redeem those points for gift cards from retail brands or donations to charities. To participate, you must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. The rewards program may only be offered in certain geographic regions within the US, and availability can be limited, restricted, suspended, or discontinued at any time.
Which news publishers are included in the app?
The app draws on articles from a range of premium publishers, including Bloomberg, The Atlantic, USA Today, TIME, The Huffington Post, Bleacher Report, Quartz, The Verge, LAT, VOX, AP, Reuters, Buzzfeed, and Fast Company. It also partners with thousands of trusted publishers for balanced coverage.
What kinds of local stories can I expect?
Local coverage is based on your location and includes government, traffic, weather, politics, and school boards, as well as cultural events, hidden gems, restaurants, family-friendly activities, and summer farmer's markets. The app surfaces these stories from premium publishers to keep you updated on your area.
What are the app's size and system requirements?
The app is about 80 MB in size and requires a minimum OS of Android 8.0. It was released on March 26, 2013, and the most recent update listed is dated October 15, 2026. The app includes ads and offers in-app purchases.
What permissions does SmartNews request?
According to the listing, it requests access to location, phone, photos/media/files, storage, camera, microphone, Wi-Fi connection information, and device ID & call information. The content rating is Teen. These permissions are part of the app's feature set, such as location-based local news and notifications.
For readers who want broad coverage from established outlets and are willing to trade some personalization data for a points program, SmartNews is a practical news aggregator. Its combination of curated channels, rewards, and location-based reporting gives it a clear position among general news apps.
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| Version | Size | Requires Android | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.4.0 | 17 MB | 4.4 | Jun 27, 2026 |
| 25.4.30 | 80 MB | 8.0 | Apr 23, 2025 |
| 24.8.35 | 62 MB | 8.0 | Aug 23, 2024 |
- Size
- 80 MB
- Requires Android
- 8.0
- Updated
- Oct 27, 2026
- Installs
- 50M+
- Rating
- ★ 3.75 (702,201)
- Category
- News & Magazines
- Developer
- SmartNews, Inc.
- Content rating
- Teen
- Package
- jp.gocro.smartnews.android
- Free
- ✓ · Contains ads · In-app purchases