NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts

The basics

Reconnect with your neighborhood! Daily news alerts for local news headlines. That is how Particle Media Inc. pitches NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts on Google Play, where it sits in the News & Magazines category and carries a content rating of Teen.

From the Play description

In the developer’s words, “Get daily news alerts & updates on current events sent straight to your phone, because a small news reader makes a big difference to communities”. It also states that “Keep up to date with news that impacts you & your community”. Another line from the listing: “Read trending headlines on live local news updates, international news, weather alerts, & more”. The listing goes on to say “NewsBreak is your #1 local news app for current events, free live news, local weather alerts for your community”.

One more point the description makes: “Local news is different from national US news, trending headlines or global news”. The description says: “NewsBreak believes that local news helps bring neighborhoods together around the unique stories they share in common”. In the developer’s words, “Only local, small news has the unique ability to meaningfully inform the decisions we make throughout the day”. That is what the developer says the app does. How well it does it for your own use is a separate question.

What the ratings show

641,634 Google Play users have rated NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts, and the average lands at 4.62. Breaking that down: 81.9% gave five stars, 9.3% four, 2.4% three, 1.5% two and 5.0% one. That is a lopsided curve in the good direction, with the bulk of people at the top.

The raw counts are 525,392 five star votes against 31,785 one star votes, roughly 17 to 1. The middle of the scale, two and three stars together, holds 3.9% of ratings (25,000 people). The listing shows 50,000,000+ installs, so the 641,634 ratings come from a slice of the people who installed it.

Version, size and price

The listing shows last updated Oct 30, 2026, version 26.44.0, Android 8.0 or newer, a content rating of Teen and first released Jun 17, 2016. The Play page carries 7 screenshots, and the written description runs to about 641 words. Google Play labels it as one that contains ads and offers in-app purchases. There is no upfront price.

Possible drawbacks

The listing says it contains ads and offers in-app purchases, so expect to be asked for attention or money at some point. Also, one star ratings sit at 5.0%, a modest share, though that is still 31,785 people who were unhappy enough to say so. Check the screenshots and the most recent reviews on the Play page before you rely on it.

Who it is for

Anyone looking at news & magazines apps who prefers a name they have heard of. Check the Android version and size on the listing first so it fits your phone. The listed content rating is Teen.