Apple announces several new features for Apple News

Apple today announced several new features for Apple News and Apple News+ customers. Apple News+ customers can now enjoy audio stories of some of the best feature stories, a daily audio news briefing hosted by Apple News editors, and curated local news collections in five US cities. Apple News is also adding regional news outlets including The Charlotte Observer, the Miami Herald, and The News & Observer. Learn more about these features below.

Apple News+ Audio Stories:

Beginning today, Apple News will produce about 20 audio stories a week across a wide range of interests. Narrated by professional voice actors, these are audio versions of some of the best feature reporting and long-form pieces published by Esquire, Essence, Fast Company, GQ, New York magazine, Sports Illustrated, TIME, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Wired, and more, and newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. Audio stories are now available to Apple News+ subscribers in the US.

Apple News Today:

With Apple News Today, a daily audio news briefing, Apple News editors and co-hosts Shumita Basu and Duarte Geraldino guide listeners through some of the most fascinating stories in the news. Apple News Today is free to all listeners and available mornings Monday through Friday directly in the News app in the US and on Apple Podcasts.

Apple also announced support for the News app in CarPlay. With this support, iOS users can listen to audio stories and Apple News Today while driving.

Curated Local News:

Apple News introduced a new curated local news experience currently available in the Bay Area, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

More Local News:

Apple News+ in the US now includes access to The Charlotte Observer, the Idaho Statesman, The Kansas City Star, the Miami Herald, The News & Observer, and The State (Columbia, South Carolina). In Canada, leading French-language newspaper Le Devoir is now available to Apple News+ subscribers, and The Globe and Mail will be available to subscribers later this summer.

Apple News is available for free in the US, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Apple News+ is available in the US for $9.99 a month, Canada for $12.99 a month, the UK for £9.99 a month, and in Australia for $14.99 AUD a month.

Source: Apple