How to Create a News App for a Publication or Community (2026)
Create a news app for a local paper, newsletter, club or company: articles from your site or RSS, saved stories, read-aloud and paid access, with Borel.
By Sigsten Gustavii· · 8 min read
To create a news app, decide where articles come from (your website's feed or a newsroom screen in the app), design a front page, article view and saved list, add what a phone does better than the website, decide how readers pay, and publish under your publication's own Apple Developer account.
| Who | What the app does | Where articles come from |
|---|---|---|
| Local paper or magazine | Front page, sections, saved stories, subscriber access | The website's RSS feed or the app's newsroom |
| Newsletter writer | Every issue, searchable, read aloud | The newsletter's RSS feed |
| Club, school or association | News, results and notices for members | Posts written in the app |
| Company intranet | Internal news and announcements | Posts written in the app, unlisted on the App Store |
| Niche news | One topic covered deeply | Your own writing |
A general news reader competes with the free ones on every iPhone. A news app for one publication or community doesn't: its readers want that publication, on their phone, saved and readable on the train. That is a focused app, and Apple accepts it as long as it does more than show the website.
What a news app needs
| Part | What it does | In a Borel app |
|---|---|---|
| Front page | The latest and top stories | A native list with images and sections |
| Article view | Readable text, images, author, date | SwiftUI text that follows the reader's text size |
| Sections | Local, sport, culture, opinion | Filters from the feed's categories or your own |
| Saved stories | Read later, even offline | Saved on the phone |
| Search | Find an old story | A search field over titles and text |
| Read aloud | Listen on the commute | Apple's text to speech |
| Paid access | Subscriber-only stories | Apple's in-app purchase, or sign-in for existing subscribers |
| Comments | Readers discuss | Comments with report and block |
Where articles come from
Most publications already publish an RSS feed, and a news app can read it: a new article appears in the app when you publish it on your site. If your site has no feed, Borel's website to iPhone app can read your name, colours and logo, and you can add a newsroom screen where staff write and publish posts straight into the app's database. Clubs and companies usually prefer the newsroom: no website needed.
Only publish content you have the rights to. Apple's Guideline 5.2.1 rules out using other people's copyrighted material, and 4.2.2 rejects apps that are mainly content aggregators or collections of links.
What a phone does better than your website
- Saved stories that open offline, kept on the phone; see offline data.
- Read aloud with Apple's voices, for the car or the commute; see voice.
- Text that follows the reader's size setting and dark mode at night, which SwiftUI gives every native app.
- A morning briefing reminder, scheduled on the phone at the reader's chosen time; see reminders.
- Fast scrolling with no ads loading underneath.
Design a front page people return to
- One lead story with a large image, then a list ordered by time.
- Sections as tabs or chips, never more than five or six.
- What's new since last visit, marked subtly, so regulars see the fresh stories at a glance.
- Clear dates and times on every story; news without a date is a rumour.
- A reading view without clutter: headline, standfirst, byline, text and images, nothing moving.
- Save from the list with a swipe, for later.
Breaking news without push
Borel apps don't send push notifications, so a news app built with Borel can't alert readers to breaking news on a locked phone. Apple's Guideline 4.5.4 says push isn't required for an app to work, and many readers turn news alerts off anyway. Show a breaking banner at the top of the front page when the app opens, and keep breaking alerts on the channels you already use. A daily briefing reminder the reader schedules covers the routine part.
Paid access and Apple's rules
| Situation | Apple's rule | In a Borel app |
|---|---|---|
| Selling a subscription in the app | 3.1.1: in-app purchase | Add payment builds a StoreKit subscription |
| Readers who already subscribe on your website | 3.1.3(a): reader apps may give them access | They sign in with their account |
| Free news with donations | 3.2.2(iv): donations outside the app unless an approved nonprofit | A support page opened in Safari |
| Free, supported by sponsors | Ads and sponsorship content must follow the guidelines | Sponsored posts marked as such |
Read Apple's full App Review Guidelines for the details of reader apps. For a subscription in the app, use the Add payment button in Borel; Apple keeps 15% under its Small Business Program for developers earning up to $1 million a year. See how to add in-app purchases.
Whatever the model, keep one free door open: a few stories a week readable without paying, so new readers find a reason to subscribe. A paywall on everything makes the app look empty to the people you most want to win.
Comments and community
Comments bring readers back, and bring moderation with them. Apple's Guideline 1.2 asks for filtering, reporting, blocking and contact details in any app where readers post. Borel's moderation kit adds Report and Block to every comment, checks text before it is posted and lists blocked people in settings. Many publications keep comments to subscribers, which raises quality and makes moderation lighter.
AI summaries, carefully
Borel AI can summarise a long article into three lines or answer "what happened this week in local politics?" from your own articles. It needs a connection, asks for consent before the opening request as Apple's Guideline 5.1.2(i) requires, and each answer is paid from your app's balance. Label AI summaries clearly, and keep the journalism itself written by people. Read how to add AI to an iPhone app.
What it costs
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building | Free with 5 credits a day | Pro from $20 a month for more credits, installing and publishing |
| Running the app | Pay as you go | Articles, comments and accounts in the cloud, from your app's balance |
| Publishing | $99 a year | Apple's Developer Program, under your publication |
| Apple's commission | 15% or 30% | Only on subscriptions sold in the app |
See pricing.
How to choose the right way to build a news app
- Borel, for a native iPhone app for one publication or community, from your feed or website, with saved stories, read-aloud and a StoreKit subscription.
- Your publishing platform's app, if it offers one and a template is enough.
- A news app vendor, if you need push alerts, Android and integration with a paywall system on day one.
- A newsletter alone, if readers are happy in their inbox.
How to do it with Borel, step by step
Step 1: Describe the publication
Make an app for Kvartersbladet, our neighbourhood news site, using the name, logo and colours from our website and articles from our RSS feed. The front page shows the latest stories with images, with sections for News, Culture and Sport from the feed's categories. Articles open in a clean reader with the author and date, a Save button and a Read aloud button. Saved stories open offline. Add search, a breaking banner staff can set from a newsroom screen, and comments for signed-in readers with report and block. A morning briefing reminder at a time the reader picks.Borel's planner, Penny, asks about anything unclear, then Rivet writes the app in Swift with SwiftUI and Xcode builds it on Borel's Mac.
Step 2: Read it in the simulator
In the iOS Simulator in your browser, check the front page, an article, saving and search.
Step 3: Read it on the train
With Pro, install it on your iPhone with Borel Companion, save a few stories and turn on Airplane Mode.
Step 4: Publish
Stamp checks the app, and Publish builds and uploads it under your publication's Apple Developer account.
The Bottom Line
A news app for one publication or community gives its readers what the website can't: saved stories on the train, articles read aloud and a clean reader that follows their text size. Borel builds it natively from your feed or website, with subscriptions through Apple and comments with moderation. It won't push breaking alerts, so keep those where you send them today. Give your feed to Borel and read your front page on a live iPhone.
Questions people ask
Can I make a news app from my website?
Yes. Borel reads your RSS feed for articles, and your website's name, colours and logo for the look, then builds a native SwiftUI app.
Can a news app send breaking news alerts?
Not a Borel app: it doesn't send push notifications. Show a breaking banner when the app opens, and keep alerts on your other channels.
How do readers pay for a news app?
A subscription sold in the app uses Apple's in-app purchase. Readers who already subscribe on your website can sign in, under Apple's reader app rule (3.1.3(a)).
Will Apple approve a news app?
Yes, if it is your own content with real app features. Apps that are mainly content aggregators, web clippings or collections of links are rejected under Guideline 4.2.2.
Can readers save articles for offline?
Yes. Saved stories are kept on the phone and open without a connection.
Can the app read articles aloud?
Yes, with Apple's text to speech and the iPhone's built-in voices, with no key or cost.
Can staff publish straight into the app?
Yes. Ask for a newsroom screen where staff write, schedule and publish posts into the app's database.
Can readers comment on articles?
Yes, signed-in readers can comment, with report and block on every comment and a text check before posting, as Apple's Guideline 1.2 requires.
How much does a news app cost to run?
Little, when articles come from your existing feed. Comments, accounts and a newsroom use Borel Cloud, paid as you go from the app's balance.
Does a news app work on iPad?
Yes. Borel apps run on iPad too, which suits longer reading.
Can a company use a news app internally?
Yes. Publish it with Apple's unlisted distribution so only people with the link can find it, and keep posts to signed-in staff.
I think a publication's own app should give readers what the website can't. Give Borel your feed and read your front page on a phone.
– Sigsten
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