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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

6abc Philadelphia

35
User verdict / 100 High confidence In trouble

The 6abc Philadelphia app, despite a high lifetime rating, is currently plagued by numerous technical issues like freezing and crashing, excessive and intrusive ads, and a confusing user interface, though some users still appreciate its local news content and reliable performance on newer devices.

4.7★ lifetime (71,753) Free + in-app purchases since 2010 by Disney Electronic Content, Inc. updated 0.5 mo ago recent negative 52% 120 reviews across 2 regions
Technical Glitches Excessive Ads Poor UI/UX Outdated Content Political Bias Local News Value
5★90
4★11
3★21
2★33
1★97
recent reviews across 2 regions, vs the 4.7★ lifetime average

The 6abc Philadelphia app, while historically well-regarded, is currently receiving a significant number of negative reviews due to persistent technical problems, including freezing, crashing, and audio issues. Users also express frustration with frequent and disruptive advertisements and a poorly designed user interface, though some still value its local news coverage.

What users like

  • Provides local news content, especially weather, which is valued by some usersR8R35R90R110
  • Works flawlessly on newer devices for some usersR2
  • Offers live broadcasts within the appR124

What users complain about

  • App frequently freezes, crashes, or fails to load, often showing a blue screenR3R50R54R55
  • Excessive and intrusive ads, sometimes playing over content or after the app is closedR6R7R8R40
  • User interface and navigation are confusing, with difficulty finding specific stories or featuresR5R29R59R61
  • Notifications often lead to the wrong story or don't open the app correctlyR23R24R25R27
  • Videos autoplay with sound, even when not desired, and sometimes multiple videos play simultaneouslyR8R10R22R24
  • News content is not updated regularly, with old stories remaining for daysR28R47R61R123
  • Some users report issues with the app's compatibility with older iOS versionsR9
  • Weather section has become harder to read and navigate after updatesR21R59R81R91
  • Perceived political bias in reporting by some usersR18R19R20R32
  • Lack of a search function makes finding specific information difficultR5R159R208

Latest update · v8.91.0

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

This release includes various bug fixes and improvements to continue providing a best-in-class news experience.

Recurring themes

Technical Glitches negative
Many users report the app frequently freezes, crashes, or fails to load, often displaying a blank blue screen. Audio issues, such as multiple videos playing simultaneously or sound continuing after the app is closed, are also common. The latest update notes mention 'bug fixes and improvements,' but recent reviews contradict this, indicating these issues persist or have worsened.R3R10R17R31
Excessive Ads negative
Users are highly frustrated by the quantity and intrusiveness of ads, which often play on a loop, interrupt content, or take over the entire screen. Some report ads playing even after closing the app.R2R6R7R8
Poor UI/UX negative
Many reviewers find the app's interface confusing and difficult to navigate, especially after recent updates. Issues include difficulty finding specific stories, weather sections being hard to read, and a lack of a search function. Notifications often lead to incorrect stories.R5R21R23R24
Outdated Content negative
A recurring complaint is that news articles are not updated frequently, with users seeing the same stories for several days. This diminishes the app's value as a source for current news.R28R47R61R116
Political Bias negative
A significant number of reviews accuse the app and its parent company (ABC/Disney) of biased, one-sided, or 'woke' reporting, particularly concerning political figures and events. This has led some users to stop watching or delete the app.R11R12R14R18
Local News Value positive
Despite the issues, many users appreciate the app for providing local news, weather, and sports coverage for the Philadelphia area. Some express loyalty to the 6abc station.R8R35R90R103

Who it's for

This app is for users who prioritize local Philadelphia news and are willing to tolerate significant technical issues, intrusive ads, and a potentially confusing interface R2R35R110. It is not for users who expect a smooth, ad-free experience, up-to-date content, or a highly functional app R3R6R7R27.

Evidence note: The recent review sample skews heavily negative (0.516 recent-negative), which contrasts sharply with the high lifetime rating (4.68665). This indicates a significant negative trajectory in user experience, likely due to recent updates. While there are some positive reviews, the volume and specificity of negative feedback regarding bugs and ads are substantial.

Frequently asked

Does the 6abc Philadelphia app frequently crash or freeze?
Yes, many recent reviews indicate the app frequently freezes, crashes, or fails to load, often displaying only a blue screen R3R50R54R55.
Are there many ads in the 6abc Philadelphia app?
Yes, users frequently complain about excessive and intrusive ads that can play on a loop, interrupt content, or even continue playing after the app is closed R6R7R8R40.
Is the weather section of the app easy to use?
Recent updates have made the weather section harder to read and navigate for many users, with some elements being cut off or obscured by other interface components R21R59R81R91.
Does the app provide up-to-date news stories?
Many users report that the news content is not updated regularly, with the same stories remaining posted for several days, leading to a lack of current information R28R47R61R123.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R8] 2/5 · US Multiple videos play at same time: I like the content, especially the weather, but recent updates have made this sound like I am walking into a crowded room. Please stop the Autoplay and fix the bugs so videos aren’t going on and on and on at the same time. Also, too many ads.
  2. [R35] 4/5 · US News: Channel 6 news is the best I think my entire family watches channel 6 news.
  3. [R90] 4/5 · US Good local news app: 6abc is the best of the local news apps in our tri-state area. The only way to improve it would be to offer more news that is less center-city centric.
  4. [R110] 5/5 · US My favorite app: I wouldn’t have it any other way. I stay up to date on the latest news and weather and yes sports! Great job! #1 Mom Mom
  5. [R2] 5/5 · US This App work flawlessly.: I’ve had this app on my phone for a few years now I never noticed any real major issues. The only thing that sort of annoyed me were the endless paid ads, but I do understand that’s how the new station makes revenue. it’s interesting how people complain about how the app doesn’t work how it’s frozen and glitchy. They failed to mention how old their devices which matters
  6. [R124] 4/5 · US Love 6ABC news!: I do LOVE the story-writing, the videos, and the reporters and anchors! The broadcasts are smooth, informative, and have great elements which set them apart from other news sources. Being able to watch live broadcasts in the app is a bonus! With that said, the app for my phone has been very choppy, especially when I get a call/message, through a story I had been watching. It takes
  7. [R3] 1/5 · US FIX IT!!!!! STILL BROKEN: What is the problem that can’t be fixed with the app FREEZING UP? SAME ISSUE OVER AND OVER. THE AP FREEZES EVERY TIME. CAN NOT USE THE APP WITHOUT IT LOCKING UP. FIX IT!!! Your competition doesn’t have an app that doesn’t freeze up.
  8. [R50] 1/5 · US 6ABC app no longer opens: I enjoyed this app until recently. Now all I get is a blue screen with a very faint “ABC” in the middle. Nothing I do will open this app.
  9. [R54] 1/5 · US Nothing But a Blue Screen: Deleted and reloaded app. Still just a blank blue screen. Saw some reviews from others. Seems to be like this for a bit.
  10. [R55] 1/5 · US App broken: App fails to load. All you get is a blue screen with a subdued 6 ABC logo
  11. [R6] 1/5 · US ADS: Too many ads
  12. [R7] 1/5 · US AI slop: This app is nonstop ads and fake AI articles. It gives pop ups for breaking news and then it’s nowhere to be found when you open the app. Don’t waste your time with this nonsense, just turn on the TV
  13. [R40] 2/5 · US Something is wrong with recent versions: Video will auto play and the sound will not stop even when the app is closed. This violates iOS guidelines. I would have thought it would be fixed by not but nothing yet. I may delete the app.
  14. [R5] 1/5 · US Can’t find it: Why not add a search for on the app? There are nice stores but I can’t find them
  15. [R29] 2/5 · US Action news: Disappointing with the layout and navigation of the information.
  16. [R59] 1/5 · US Horrible: The previous version was far superior. Easier to navigate and the weather section was bigger and gave a better View of 5 day forecast. Very disappointed in this version
  17. [R61] 1/5 · US What happened?: This version of the app is basically useless. It relies heavily on video and has a really weird way of prioritizing what is shown. Articles are often old, navigation is strange, video never loads.
  18. [R23] 2/5 · US Notifications don’t open correct story: Every time I click a notification I’m interested in the app opens to another story.
  19. [R24] 1/5 · US Really hate this latest version of app: When you tap on a story another one comes up. Also when you open a story with a video it comes on with the sound on.
  20. [R25] 2/5 · US Save your time: Basically a copy paste of ABC New alerts and the local news links intermittently take you to the story they are highlighting
  21. [R27] 1/5 · US Worthless: The app never takes you to the story you wanted. What’s the point of having different stories available if it just keeps taking me back to the last one that loaded successfully?! Other news apps don’t have this problem. Maybe it’s time for them to hire a new app developer.
  22. [R10] 1/5 · US Problems: This app is really no good Two voices r playing at one time it’s very annoying and there is no way to turn it off I reset the app and it is still doing it! This isn’t the first time but I gotta tell you it’s very frustrating!
  23. [R22] 1/5 · US I don't want videos: I used to be able to use this app to read news articles. Now when I click on one, it forces a video to play. I don't want to wake my sleeping child or have my coworkers hear what I'm watching. Stop with the videos. I will delete the app.
  24. [R28] 2/5 · US Articles: Not enough updated news throughout the day
  25. [R47] 1/5 · US Your app has has no content: For us being a major city, the lack of coverage on all stories and follow ups on past stories has become really a joke. Your app and the lack of content is very disappointing.
  26. [R123] 3/5 · US Review Channel 6: I don’t feel that the printed news is updated as regularly as the live reporting…I check this online report and find the same stories 2-3-4 days in a row!!! I feel I miss out on soooo much not catching a live broadcast!!! I really miss Jim Gardner and had hoped he would occasionally be doing some feature stories but haven’t seen any so far??? Although I miss Jim, I TREMENDOUSLY
  27. [R9] 3/5 · US Minimum OS: Looks like your recent version has surpassed the maximum OS my iPhone can support. I don’t get a new iPhone every time Apple makes a new one. Please update the backwards compatibility. Thanks!
  28. [R21] 3/5 · US Can’t change location in weather tab: The 6ABC app seems to work fine except for one thing, in the weather tab, the location button and the arrow to change location is the top center of the screen on the iPad, but it’s behind the menu bar, I can’t get to it. Either the menu bar ( the one that says Home, Weather, News, etc) should be moved to the side or the location button, or both to opposite cor
  29. [R81] 3/5 · US The update: On the updated version you can't see the days of the week in daily weather and the hourly times are cut off to on the weather.
  30. [R91] 3/5 · US Not thrilled with Update for Weather: One of the hallmarks of 6ABC is the weather. And the old board for seeing the 7 day forecast was simple and easy to read. The new weather section is not as easy and the new “daily” forecast is horizontal and hard to read. Some of it is off the screen. Bring back the iconic 6ABC 7 day weather board.
  31. [R18] 2/5 · US Needs some data checks going downhill: For the most part this was a decent app years ago. Unfortunately with it owned by Disney there is a strong left wing slant these days and much of their reporting is skimmed off general news sites on the web. No real reporting, just prewritten scripts.
  32. [R19] 1/5 · US Shameful: How come you never report about the corruption and illegality of Trump’s presidency? ABC news should be ashamed.
  33. [R20] 1/5 · US Bent the knee: No longer independent jounalism
  34. [R32] 1/5 · US One sided views: Not as objective as I would expect
  35. [R159] 3/5 · US Needs a search capability: Even when on air reporters direct you to the site for more information or a link they are often difficult to find.
  36. [R208] 3/5 · US Ok, but not great: Has basic info but not easy to find what you’re looking for. A search feature would be nice.
  37. [R17] 2/5 · US Was ok: Until the audio continues when the app is closed…. What else is still running. Deleting immediately
  38. [R31] 5/5 · US WPVI: Your station has been glitching all day yesterday and again today. I’ve watched other stations and yours is the only station doing this. What is going on?
  39. [R116] 4/5 · US News feed junkie: A little quicker turn over of stories.
  40. [R11] 1/5 · US Capitulation: Grow a spine ABC
  41. [R12] 1/5 · US Delete immediately: Boycott all ABC & Disney to stand up for Free Speech!!
  42. [R14] 1/5 · US I’m Done: You couldn’t support Kimmel. I’m done, deleting this APP
  43. [R103] 5/5 · US Channel 6 news people: Very professional easy to listen to and puts me in a comfort zone every night from 4-630. Very special people!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store