Ground News Negative Reviews

Ground News App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024

Ground News app received 49 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using Ground News? Can you share your negative thoughts about ground news?

Ground News for Negative User Reviews

✓ Can’t open the appGetting the following error on launch: “The certificate for this server is invalid. You might be connecting to a server that is pretending to be "production.checkitt.news" which could put your confidential information at risk.” Located in New Zealand. iPhone 8 iOS 13.6 Date & Time is set automatically; not using a VPN. P.S. love the website, just a shame about the app..AlexeyNZVersion: 3.27

✓ Very laggyGreat app, but too much lag to use on iPhone XS. Definitely would consider paying for a subscription if this is fixed!.GrabThemByTheBuseyVersion: 3.35.1

✓ Interesting but poorly executedA news aggregator that rates bias is an interesting idea and I was really excited to see an assortment of stories and how the coverage differs. However, within 30’ of installing and only trying a few stories I am deleting the app due to absurd execution. Unlike other news aggregators that I’ve used, this loads each publisher’s individual Web pages. This is a problem because of constant pop ups, cookies, requests for subscriptions, ads, intrusive videos, and everything else we HATE about browsing the Internet. Why would I subject myself to so much crap just to see how different biases are expressed? Nope, I’m out. Clear out all that garbage and maybe I’ll reinstall. Stop using icons instead of names for news sources and maybe I’ll even pay. As it stands now, it’s an interesting idea, poorly executed, and not worth your $1/mo. or even your time..AimlessphotographyVersion: 3.19

✓ Hard to believe the hypeI’ve had this app less than five minutes and I am less than impressed. It would appear that the bias analysis is based, not on the contents of the article, but which news outlet it is from. So when we have a weather warning for parts of the U.K. it is perceived to be a left wing article, because it’s reported more in centre left and left leaning news outlets. I will persevere with the app during the free trial, just to make sure I am being fair, but I have yet to see the groundbreaking development which will enhance my daily newsfeed..Mr CardewVersion: 4.8.0

✓ New update a huge messThis was a really promising app, but the latest update has made it unusable. The summaries are all off centre; it is harder to see where one story ends and the next begins; less intuitive to get to full articles etc... It also appears that they have removed the ability to comment (unless I’m just utterly unable to find it in the new UI!). Given Grounds objective to “break the echo chambers” by helping us all see coverage from different biases, this a terrible move. Being able to comment and discuss is a huge part of that! Why is it gone?!?!.WhatsiinanameVersion: 4.0.1

✓ Terrible updateNot interested in somebody's opinion in a summary of the story. We will make our own summary after we read several angles on the same story. Three clicks to get to the content is irritating and unnecessary..Nickname377Version: 4.0.1

✓ Too much clunkinessThe thing about apps especially with pick up and read ones, I don’t expect to deal with 5 minutes of log in issues, I know they need to drive subscriptions and sell my usage data but when mainstream outlets have no need to login and the constant reminders about subscriptions you ask questions about whether you go back to old news sources. I love the invention and thought behind the website, but overall, design and how the reader perceives and consumes the news needs to be thought about - no point having a passion project if it’s hard to use..Justin PetersenVersion: 4.13.1

✓ New updateNew format isn’t nearly as good as the previous one. I’ll most likely delete the app if it stays the same.WhatbudVersion: 4.0.1

✓ Part of the reasonJust another aggregator.Vabsodnelage fVersion: 2.17

✓ At First This Was My Go-To News AppWith this pro version you cannot even basic compare the different publishers on stories & so much more but this alone was one of the biggest things that attracted me to this app. Being able to compare and form my own decisions. This subscription model ruins the app & i will no longer be recommending this to friends & family. Would’ve given this 5 stars before..ClydeBennessVersion: 3.22

✓ Great News Aggregate, Toxic CommunityI’ve loved Ground News for a long time now, and have really appreciated the work that they’ve put into showing all sides and biases. Unfortunately, this seems to have attracted a community of toxic hyper partisanship where users just see their side as “telling it as it is”, the center as “watering down the truth”, and the opposite side as the “MSM lies”. The comment section has gotten so out of control that I had to turn it off. Even then, I can’t feel good about funding a forum where people get “thumbs’d up” for insulting and making conspiracy theories about the capitol police officers who committed suicide (my last straw). These are the same people who’ve driven any semblance of moderacy away from the community and drag Ground News down like an anchor. Again, I really do appreciate what the creators of the app have put together, but I just don’t want to fund the toxic environment that it hosts..Johndiss9483729Version: 3.36.1

✓ Good concept bad executionThe underlying content and concepts are good. However the app UI is badly developed. It flakes out on modern phones after playing videos failing to shrink back properly to avoid the top of the screen where the back button is untouchable so you have to kill it and start it again. Scrolling lags a perceptible amount too..SeliquiVersion: 4.6.2

✓ Difficult to unsubscribe during free trialNot a bad product, but does not meet my needs. I found it impossible to unsubscribe during the free trial. No instructions on the site or in the app. I would not recommend the trial..Nevin in JapanVersion: 4.4.0

✓ Server invalid??Hi, the app opens but when I click continue as guest or sign up with email/Facebook it says “certificate for this server if invalid. You might be connecting to a server that is pretending to be “production.checkitt.news” which could put your confidential information at risk”.Cammy482947Version: 3.22

✓ Needs a Built in ReederVery good idea, executed very well and delivers on the anti-biased approach. However, it is an inconvenience to have to open safari when wanting to read any article. I realise it would be a massive task to develop and impliment an article reader within the app but ti woulkd make it the whole package. Or at least allow external support for other reader apps..JdjsvaVersion: 3.0.2

✓ Same price, less featuresI was an early subscriber. Same price, they have now removed some of the features and added a more expensive subscription..James5639Version: 3.36.1

✓ Couldn’t log inTried several times to log in. Gave up and deleted it in the end. Sad as it looks like a great concept.Wickr fanVersion: 3.36.1

✓ Love Ground News but the redesign broke everything!I love Ground News - it’s my go-to source for news every day. It’s the only place I trust to see media bias and get the full picture on each headline. But the redesign completely broke the “Read Full Article” feature! For some reason, every single source for every headline only actually points to one source. For example, every single source redirects to “Raw Story” for an article about Trump and classified records today. When I click CNN? Raw Story. Washington Examiner? Raw Story. It’s the same for every headline! Not all of them point to Raw Story - for each headline it’s a different one, but I can’t actually open the full articles except one. Also, minor bug, but it takes several views of the notifications page (accessed by the bell button in the upper left hand corner) to actually clear out notifications and mark them as read. I’m OCD about clearing my notifications badges so this has become super irritating. I’m not a HUGE fan of the aesthetics of the redesign either. I preferred the old design. That being said, I will get used to it if the bugs are fixed. Please fix this app!! I need my news back!! Ground News is such a fundamental part of how I engage with the news cycle and it’s been so frustrating to use since the update..SasasaamVersion: 4.0.1

✓ Garbage in garbage outIt is still biased when analyzing the same biased media. Most of the western media are biased. AI can translate so why dont you include the arab media when analyzing a war where Palestinians are the victims and part of the story! Without listening to Palestinians you are just creating another biased media..YouriisVersion: 4.13.1

✓ Too much clutterThe Safari extension clutters the browser making it unattractive, and somewhat unintuitive to navigate. Clicking on the extenition would be much more useful if it opened a drop-down window with a dashboard and resources..Jtummins-15Version: 3.0.2

✓ No AccessibilityUpdate 7 months later (original below) - seven months after my original review and the developer responding to say they would make changes, and absolutely nothing has changed - so not only has the developer shown zero moral fortitude by omitting basic accessibility, they have proven themselves cowardly liars by failing to make very necessary changes - avoid this app at all costs! I really wanted to like this app, but like so many others on the App Store today the authors have taken a conscious and deliberate exclusionary approach to accessibility by enforcing an unreasonably small text size, ignoring system APIs for automatic adjustment of text sizes that have been standard for a decade and a half, and provided zero ability to increase the size of text in the app anywhere in the app settings. While I’m sure the content is helpful, the fact that the developers have actively chosen to block access to people with sight impairments or other issues with small text tells me all I need to know to relegate this app to the trashcan of digital history!.Ordan77Version: 4.12.0

✓ JankyNo way to turn off the bell alert icons number AND having to manually delete each one at a time.... 🙄👎👎 Cancelled my sub, this app is not worth the price.BalathrustiusVersion: 3.31

✓ The world DOES need this... From an app that isn't broken.I'm gonna make this short and sweet. You guys have 10 people on the team and it looks like 9 of you need to give most of your wages to the poor guy or girl that wrote this application on his their own. I get what you're trying to do and I support it completely. However, as an engineer I cannot support this app because, well, basically, it's broken. I wasn't even able to finish my initial testing because I couldn't get passed the very odd window sizing and resizing, and eventually it locked up my system and I now I can gladly say I can recreate the problem quite easily. That's a serious bug, I would go so far as to say that your app probably needs an overhaul from an experienced programmer. If you're interested in some free (for a time) consulting, send me an email. With that saidl.. NEWS ALERT - Your program isn't ready. Fix it and give people what you really want, not this less-than-acceptable excuse for software..Halcyon_devVersion: 3

✓ No share sheets? How!?The Mac app has incrementally improved, slowly, but one glaring issue remains: you cannot share headline articles using share sheets like you can in the iOS and iPadOS counterparts. It's the #1 reason I have to deduct two stars, because to me, this feature is an essential part of the app..PolloTecVersion: 3.0.3

✓ Thought this looked like a good ideaLoaded the app after hearing the creators being interviewed on the radio. Looked at it a few times but found the interface way too crowded and confusing to decipher every time I just wanted to read about an event. For some unknown reason it spontaneously started issuing notifications so I opened and noticed they are rating the CBC and PBS as centrist news sources... um no they are pretty far left. Don’t trust this app any more, deleted it..'skibbler'Version: 3.31

✓ Too much Legitimate InterestGreat app in principle but I’ve given up as you just get bounced to the news source website and then they have hundreds of ‘Legitimate Interest’ toggle’s which is disingenuous as almost nobody is considering that users also have a legitimate interest in not being tracked, even though I expressly choose reject all cookies the websites ignore us claiming this illegitimate interest. I’m about to delete the app as I’ve wasted enough time turning off ‘Legitimate Interest’ toggles hidden in the various websites cookie settings..Mago magiVersion: 4.9.0

✓ Good app but it doesn’t recognise my Premium subscriptionIt’s a good news app but it doesn’t let me use the blindspot feature even though I’ve paid for my premium subscription. It is still asking me to get premium.Kartiky1Version: 3.35

✓ Tracking you 24/7In order to make more money off of you, they now require to use your GPS local news. Because you probably don’t know what city you live in. And if you do, maybe you can’t spell it so they won’t allow that. Just give them your constant GPS location ….JOhnDoeeeee1231Version: 4.2.0

✓ A good concept - needs workI like the idea. But separating media in simplistic boxes like “left” and “right” doesn’t do much to provide any diversity in the news. Nor are these terms very accurately applied. It’s just twitter organized differently. It’s got potential tho..ThisisdamenVersion: 4.3.0

✓ Version 4.0.1 redesign was a mistakeJust got Ground a few weeks ago and started paying for the highest tier the same day. I was very glad to find an aggregate of important news composed of different sources from across the political spectrum, and was transparent on where it’s sources lied on the spectrum. That hasn’t changed with this update, but man does the app look gross now, and it makes things look more confusing. In the previous update it was simple: flat color background (it was black to me but that could just be because I have dark mode on for my phone) with red for conservative, gray for center, and blue for liberal sources. Clean and easy to see. Now it’s a weird light colored gray for the background and a beige highlight. The color for the biases are the same, but now they feel the need to add a gradient to the colors so it just looks like a giant gray bar with some red mixed on the right and some blue mixed on the left. I get that the point is to show an intensity in bias, like the more solid the color the stronger the bias is. However it looks ugly, and I much prefer the old view to the new one. I appreciate what they were going for, but wish they had kept it simple. Please fix, or at least give us the option to switch back to the old color pallet if we want to..Ryguy525Version: 4.0.1

✓ Delivers Cool Bias Coverage, But Doesn’t Actually Deliver NewsThe stories pushed by Grounded have all the bells and whistles it promises, including headlines from across the political spectrum and references to outlet’s expected factuality. However, the app follows the same exact feed of stories that populate cable news, which is to say, most of the content I am show is not news but infotaiment. “Woman sees toddler walking on the highway” is not news, it’s entertainment for the morbidly curious. It affects no one’s life and is merely an oddity to grab attention. Actual news is useful information that describes events that effect the country/city/community/me. How are my tax dollars being spent right now? What is the state of the jobs market? What cities in the country are changing, and how? I’d settle for fluctuations of the price of corn and wheat! Just give me something with meaning, something that helps me look at society with a little more clarity. I want NEWS, not reality television..HanselAndGranselVersion: 4.11.1

✓ No comment section!!That was my favourite part! It’s totally gone!.-> Please enter a NicknameVersion: 4.1.0

✓ Australia Maybe????Hey, maybe could you also assess Australian news too? Thanks.LawrenceRJVersion: 4.7.0

✓ Just a new way to attempt pushing the left wing narrative more to the center.I had high hopes this would be a fair site, but whenever I see most publications from the left being said as “highly factual” and most from the right being labeled low or mixed factuality I saw the picture. Also there is a bunch of left wing news articles reading as center bias. I see a “center bias” news article labeled as highly factual and then denies 2020 election interference. That is not “highly factual” as they cannot prove this as a fact, and also don’t take into account the fact the Russian collusion story was a hoax of FBI lying to a FISA court to spy on a presidential candidate, or FBI clear violation of 1A in collusion with social media to prevent a Trump presidency and even suppress a factual news article from a 100 year old newspaper. These happen to support actual factual interference in 2020 election and to deny these facts with labels of “highly factual” stories is a joke. Now after saying all that, if you completely disregard their bias and factuality ratings there is a useful way to use this service. It has a huge collection of articles from different sources that can be valuable to compare and easy to find, but you absolutely must disregard the actual fact that their factuality rating is completely nonsense..Mlg man15Version: 4.11.0

✓ Can do BetterIdea is great- it here in Australia Needs Work.MickDunnDVersion: 4.9.0

✓ Automatically Shares Email with NewsitesThe app overall was pretty meh. It appeared to make an attempt at providing insight, but I have my doubts. I signed up for a premium account, and despite that they were still sharing my email address with the newsites I visited. This is obvious because I started getting email from a bunch of random news sites I'd only ever heard of through their app. The app may very well have warned me, but if I'm paying, I don't want to horse around with something like that..Arizona Man 7Version: 3.0.3

✓ Off the markI find the rating system for ‘left, center or right’ off the mark. The app attempts to categorize the slant of news based on the outlet displaying the story instead of its written content, context or original source. Here’s a hypothetical example: A news event is published by network ‘A’ the app categorizes as ‘left’, which creates a left percentage. Then, the identical story is picked up by three local networks which creates an even larger center percentage despite these local affiliates all sourcing the story from network ‘A’. Literally, it’s an identical copy a paste from network ‘A’s news feed. Based on how this app works that story is rated 75% center, 25% left. The factual content didn’t change, nor its context. So, if you are seeking contextually centered content be sure you read the story source header instead of relying on the apps rating of the host site. When you do this you’ll find the majority of all news found here is copy and paste from CNN or the AP..H Dee j as hzgahVersion: 4.12.0

✓ Big fan of the app beforeRemoving the comments section is a big move backwards to what the original vision of the app represented; to provide a platform free of adulterated news, creating a well informed and critical community. Removing the comments from the platform to discuss the content from mainstream media implies that the information they provide is factual and requires no public scrutiny. There is no time more crucial than now to create and maintain platforms where people can openly discuss their thoughts. Ground News needs to take a step back and reassess if they want to join the model of the failing media or be part of the change the public and their customers are demanding. GN has a great opportunity here, I hope they make the right call before I cancel my subscription and support someone that will..ProxychronosxVersion: 4.0.1

✓ Does not workSafari plugin does not work. does not show website rankings. the dowenload has a seperate app that never loads its contents- blank screen. useless..Ssnsn862Version: 3.0.3

✓ False balance is not “fairness”. This app is causing harm.Ground News publishes fake news on a daily basis, labeled as a “left-wing blind spots”. The headlines and summaries on these stories are AI-generated based on the articles being collated, so they are only as good as the source material, which is often bad. Notably, I have seen and reported several stories about the LGBTQ+ community, that Ground picked from sources that it labels “Low” or “Mixed” factuality. These are tagged as “blind spots” for the left, rather than the outright lies that they are. Queer people are already under attack, and amplifying fake news about us is not helping at all. I’ve been cataloging the “blind spots” that Ground publishes. In the past week, I’ve captured approximately 100 stories from the left and 100 from the right. Stories that are labeled as “left blind spots” (stories where the coverage skews strongly to the right) tend to have significantly worse sourcing than stories labeled “right blind spots”, per Ground’s own factuality labeling. Right-leaning stories this week have had an average of 3.7 high-factuality sources, 8.7 mixed-factuality, and 3.6 low-factuality. Left-leaning stories had an average of 12 high-fact sources, 4.9 mixed-fact, and 0.3 low-fact. This leads me to believe that Ground is promoting “false balance”, giving equal weight to both sides of issues that actually don’t have two sides. In other words, they are promoting fake news..Scoott OVersion: 4.13.1

✓ Less political bias, more corporate biasThis app could use a compass realignment. Instead of focussing on the individual political silos, there should be a focus on the impact that advertising and corporate ownership has on news sources. There should be an “unbiased” category and one that highlights media sources that don’t rely on advertising or corporate money. The real issue with our news sources is money, not political bias. Political bias is the result of a corrupted system..TheIronPriceVersion: 3.25

✓ Buggy, confusingWhile I would love a competitor in this space of news aggregators with a twist, this app is baffling to use. Notifications make no sense and don't open up the story. The UI is a constant frustration to navigate for someone wanting to, you know, use the map and read news (seems like the point?). Is the map a nav tool or a visual organizer? Turns out it's bad at both. Map filtering? huh? The top menu buttons of Top and Latest give me the same stories generally. My News doesn't seem to make much sense, and when I'm actually wanting to read the story on the original site there's no usual direct 'open in Safari' menu item nearby. The core news feed format is good, but seems very dominated by world news. Having no way to say what your region or country is makes this best for reading local news or world news but not "national" news (which gets lost)..OutOfTheBarrVersion: 1.4.1

✓ Very easy to subscribe, not so easy to unsubscribeI downloaded the app some months ago. After looking all around, I find out that it was just not for me. No the kind of news I was interested in. I uninstalled the application. It’s very, very easy to subscribe. No need to search, in every page you will found 2, 3 even 4 places to do so. After close to 3 months, without the app, I still received their mails, regularly, like a clock, they don’t missed to send you one. The first time I received it, I go at the end of the page, spot the “unsubscribe” link. Where it bring you to a page where No place to unsubscribe. But to subscribe, there’s plenty of link. I write and write, over and over again, begging them to tell me the step to unsubscribe to what I consider now to be a junk mail. Still no answer. Do yourself a a favor, found a news app who’s honest. Period..Annie C.S.Version: 4.4.0

✓ Top Stories as the wrong approachInteresting idea, yet there should be a place when I can see "my top stories" based on the content of what I'm following, without having to manually select each one. Other content agregator have the save issue. Please give me some top stories of my content and let go of the rest. I don't need no Biden and Trump news :).Jean-Francois GouletVersion: 2

✓ Not a serious appThis app is not showing the real far-right nor the real far-left. It’s a good thing, but the far left and far right are regular leftists and right wingers..Ge.HsVersion: 3.35

✓ Won’t openApp failing to open on iOS.RickTonerVersion: 1.10

✓ Full of Misleading InformationI can’t believe if without saw it by myself that in Ground News, the Chinese state-owned propaganda tools like CGTN, People’s Daily, Global Times, and Russia’s state-owned propaganda tool like Russia Today (RT) are positioned as “centre”. Really doubt if this app is actually backed by China and/or Russia government..DkfhdjdfdjdVersion: 4.0.1

✓ Ads keep shifting content around the screenTry to read an article to see if it’s something I want to subscribe to. Every few seconds the content shifts the place I’m reading off the screen and replaces it with an advert. App deleted..CbriffaVersion: 4.13.1

✓ So close...I love the idea for this app, and have immensely enjoyed being able to quickly see how different sources are covering the same subject. However, the interface leaves much to be desired. My biggest complaint is the ads. It is difficult to trust an app that says it’s unbiased when in the middle of the article I’m reading half the page is suddenly covered by a picture of Donald Trump asking me to support his future campaigns. I assume that if I pay for an upgraded version I can hide the advertisements, but even that is unclear. When I click “Find Out More” to see their subscription options, it’s as if the page isn’t fully developed. I can certainly choose one of two plans to subscribe to, but no matter where I tap on the page it gives me no information about what these subscriptions provide..JustmaybekindofdoitVersion: 3.34

Ground News works most of the time. If it is not working for you, we recommend you excersise some patience and retry later or contact Ground News.