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

NEWS CENTER Maine

45
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

The News Center Maine app provides essential local news and weather for many users, but a recent update has introduced significant usability issues, including a problematic weather radar, frequent crashes, excessive ads, and navigation difficulties.

4.7★ lifetime (18,833) Free to download since 2011 by Tegna Inc. updated 0.3 mo ago recent negative 35% 120 reviews across 2 regions
App Usability Advertisements Local News Content Performance Issues Weather Radar
5★110
4★38
3★17
2★23
1★66
recent reviews across 2 regions, vs the 4.7★ lifetime average

The News Center Maine app offers local news, weather, and sports, appreciated by users for its local focus and coverage. However, recent updates have led to a decline in user experience, with many reporting issues like app instability, a redesigned and less functional weather radar, and an overwhelming number of advertisements.

What users like

  • Provides local news and weather coverageR3R4R5R6
  • Allows users to stay updated on Maine news while away from homeR10R23R41R47
  • Appreciated for its news and weather teams' personalities and professionalismR4R5R6R10

What users complain about

  • Recent update negatively impacted the weather radar functionalityR1R2R7R8
  • App frequently crashes or freezes, making it unusableR21R34R50R67
  • Excessive and intrusive advertisements hinder user experience and navigationR28R30R40R45
  • Navigation is difficult and stories are hard to findR7R31R36R63
  • Live video streaming and playback are unreliable or unavailableR9R10R75R81
  • App drains battery significantly, even when not in active useR136R137R142
  • Lack of dark mode and disliked new red logoR11R31
  • Some users report political bias in news coverageR54R70R135R138
  • Notifications are irrelevant or too frequentR38R210

Latest update · v50.15.4

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

Bug fixes and improvements

Recurring themes

App Usability negative
Many users report that the app is difficult to navigate, with stories hard to find and a general lack of user-friendliness. The new update is frequently cited as making the app worse, with issues like jumping pages during scrolling and a confusing layout.R7R31R36R63
Performance Issues negative
A significant number of recent reviews highlight frequent app crashes, freezing, and slow loading times. This contradicts the developer's claim of 'bug fixes and improvements' in the latest update, as users continue to experience these problems.R21R34R50R67
Weather Radar negative
The recent update has severely impacted the weather radar, with many users finding the new version 'horrible' and 'unusable'. Key features like the graphic for the weekly forecast are reported as missing or not displaying information.R1R2R7R8
Advertisements negative
Users are highly frustrated by the overwhelming number of ads, which are described as intrusive, loud, and often indistinguishable from actual news articles. These ads contribute to slow performance and freezing, making the app difficult to use.R28R30R40R45
Local News Content positive
Despite the technical issues, many users appreciate the app for providing local Maine news, weather, and sports. They value staying informed about their home state, especially when traveling, and often praise the news and weather teams.R3R4R5R6

Who it's for

This app is for individuals who prioritize local Maine news and weather updates and are willing to tolerate significant app performance issues, intrusive ads, and a potentially frustrating user interface R1R2R7R21. It is not recommended for users who expect a smooth, ad-free experience, reliable live streaming, or a functional weather radar R1R9R30.

Evidence note: The recent review sample heavily skews negative, with many users expressing strong dissatisfaction with the latest update. While there are positive reviews praising the content and news team, the technical issues are widely reported and consistent across multiple users.

Frequently asked

Is the News Center Maine app free?
Yes, the News Center Maine app is free to download and use R133.
Can I watch live news broadcasts on the app?
Users report significant issues with live streaming and watching recent broadcasts, often encountering errors or finding only outdated content instead of truly live or current news R9R10R75R81.
Does the app have a functional weather radar?
Many recent reviews indicate that the weather radar functionality has been negatively impacted by a recent update, with users calling it 'horrible' and 'unusable' and reporting missing graphic elements R1R2R7R8.
Are there many ads in the News Center Maine app?
Yes, users frequently complain about an excessive number of intrusive and loud advertisements that hinder navigation, slow down the app, and sometimes freeze it R28R30R40R45.

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. [R3] 5/5 · US John: So nice to have an app with local news.
  2. [R4] 5/5 · US We only watch you all!: We truly enjoy watching News Center Maine. This is by far the best news cast around! It’s thorough, explained well and we enjoy all of the newscasters. Keep up the great work.
  3. [R5] 5/5 · US News Center Maine: I’ve been watching News Center for more than thirty years. Ever since I was a child. Love the app works well. Love the news on this and it’s the only broadcast I watch.
  4. [R6] 5/5 · US Thank you: You’re always there always current local and extremely likable the entire crew. Thank you for making each of my days a little more than they would’ve been without you.
  5. [R10] 2/5 · US Love the team/app disappointment: I liked to watch each of the posted news programs at my own pace in the morning especially when I am out of state. The interactions of the personable morning team as they present the day’s new and weather are delightful and segments like the Stumper are joyful, esp. when the news isn’t. With the new app, I cannot find anything more than the most current broadca
  6. [R23] 5/5 · US Great Local Reporting: Helps me keep up with Maine news when I’m away.
  7. [R41] 5/5 · US Love Seeing and Hearing about Home: I enjoy so much seeing and hearing about the stat I was born and grew up in!
  8. [R47] 5/5 · US Informative and breaking Maine news: Wonderful resource to Maine news while I’m in State or away!
  9. [R1] 1/5 · US New update is horrible: I use the weather radar on this app all the time and it was great. Well they decided to update and now it is a joke! The new radar is horrible! Why oh why would you change it. Guess I need to find a new app.
  10. [R2] 1/5 · US Designer may need to be examined…: They should bring back the OLD version of the app. Whoever put the new one together should reconsider. I hate the new version and actually deleted it because it’s TERRIBLE! I did reinstall because the website can’t give me LOCAL weather, only Portland and Bangor. Previously, when I wanted any kind of news, News Center Maine was my immediate “go to”. However, wit
  11. [R7] 1/5 · US Horrible update: Whoever designed this update should be fired. I used to use this app frequently now it’s almost unusable. I don’t even know where to go and see the weather.
  12. [R8] 1/5 · US Weather Tab: When I open the weather tab it does display any information. I have reviewed all my settings and updated the app. The old app worked great.
  13. [R21] 1/5 · US Crashes: The app constantly freezes the screen upon opening.
  14. [R34] 4/5 · US WCSH6: The app keeps crashing! I love watching the early news on my iPad , but it runs for 20-30 minutes tops and then crashes! So I relaunch it, and it crashes again in even less time! PLEASE fix this!
  15. [R50] 2/5 · US Buggy: I use the app on an iPad and it constantly lags, or crashes, or both. And the ads repeat ad nauseous. Would prefer local ads over “hooked on sports” garbage. Please get the bugs out of this thing…you are giving NewsCenter Maine a bad image.
  16. [R67] 1/5 · US Update causes crashes: My News Center Maine app only crashes and refuses to open. Thanks very much for ruining a decent app.
  17. [R28] 2/5 · US Commercial Volume: The volume increase during commercials is unnecessary.
  18. [R30] 2/5 · US Impossible to read weather-related closings!: I like NCM and tune in for all my local news on YT, but this app is awful. I have an iPhone and when I tried to see weather-related closings it is set up with stupid arrows all along the left side that obscure the first half of the names. Absolutely useless! Why can't you design something that actually works? Also too many popup ads
  19. [R40] 5/5 · US Love it! Loud commercials though: We canceled our satellite so all we have are streaming services now, I am SO glad to have this news app! Only 1 thing I could change about it is how extremely loud the commercials are. The news is normal then the commercials are SO SO loud!!!! Please consider fixing this!!!! Thankyou!!!
  20. [R45] 2/5 · US Request: I don’t care for ads I’d like to see weather not ads.
  21. [R31] 3/5 · US Where are the articles?: Loaded the new version last night. First of all, why is the new logo red? This is an angry/non-calming color. Besides that, I was excited to try out the new app. However, it seems that there are mostly videos now. I liked being able to read pieces before or watch a video. 95% of the time I read the article. This is frustrating that I no longer have this option. ☹️
  22. [R36] 5/5 · US App review: I like new l like changes, but I dislike multiple clicks to get to the headline story. Otherwise great app.
  23. [R63] 3/5 · US Difficult to find articles: When a topic is discussed, such as Gardening with Guttner, it is difficult to find. I’ve posted videos on Near Me, cannot find any evidence that it was a successful submission…
  24. [R9] 1/5 · US Please Fix ASAP!: I hate the updates. When I watch live, the NCM live banner, volume, CC and full screen buttons never go away at the bottom of the screen. These cover the actual news ticker that is scrolling. Please fix!
  25. [R75] 2/5 · US Not ready for “Prime Time”: I really wanted to love this app. The layout however is confusing, lacks an actual, simple, “watch live” functionality, and is awash in a landscape of new ads every time you click something. For instance, after the huge storms experienced by the entire state yesterday, (12/23/22) I tried to get “live” updates concerning weather and power outages upon waking this mornin
  26. [R81] 2/5 · US Please fix!: When trying to watch the latest report-unless it’s currently live-ALWAYS get the error that “We’re having difficulty loading this video. Please try again or select another video to watch.” All the other videos work-why can’t we replay your latest broadcast??? Didn’t start happening until recently when the app changed!?
  27. [R136] 1/5 · US Yikes! Why is my battery draining by the minute?!: I discovered the answer was this app. It used the most minutes per hour, and the most percentage of all my other apps. Even closed with background refresh and update turned off, this app was apparently still running in the background. Deleted it and got my battery back, and no more “coincidental” ads on other apps.
  28. [R137] 1/5 · US Huge battery drain: Can’t leave this app open in the background or it’ll drain the battery. 20% in just an hour or two not even using the app. Something seriously wrong in the coding.
  29. [R142] 2/5 · US Uses too much battery power: Even with background refresh turned off, this app uses a lot of battery power. It uses the most battery power by percentage than any other app I have on my phone.
  30. [R11] 1/5 · US Ridiculous: Where did dark mode go? And the dark mode icon? Red is hideous and I do not want to have to see it constantly
  31. [R54] 1/5 · US Newscenter6 is a woke, garbage, mainstream media toilet.: Liberal, woke, spoon fed lies, How am I supposed to feel, think, and act NewsCenter6? You ignorant sheep enjoy your propaganda. If you’re dumb enough to watch it, you’re most likely dumb enough to believe it.
  32. [R70] 4/5 · US News: It is nice to be able to catch the news on my phone when I am not home. When I travel,out,of state it is nice to be able to keep track of local issues. Just wish the news was not so political. FYI the add you run saying mothers make 35000 decisions a day, if the do the math and assume the mother is up 24/7 then she makes a decision every 3-4 seconds, think they are teaching the truth a bit.
  33. [R135] 1/5 · US Weak, biased: Just like their news, not the best job.
  34. [R138] 1/5 · US Liberal: You are a liberal piece of crap
  35. [R38] 1/5 · US Ridiculous.: I previously panned this app for its constant, irrelevant notifications (I wanted weather notifications, not “reminders” to check out their Facebook page). Eventually I just turned off all notifications and moved on. Unfortunately, recently there was an eye-opening event that has me about to delete this one for good. I check this app mostly just to get important local news. The othe
  36. [R210] 3/5 · US Weather Only?: Got this specifically to access the weather forecast, and opted out of every notification that wasn’t a storm warning. So why am I still getting alerts for distinctly non- weather related news????? I want to know if there’s an impending snowstorm coming my way, not prez Trump’s latest tweets about the border wall.
  37. [R133] 2/5 · US Advertisement city: Man. I want to like this app. I really dig the news center maine crew but this app is not great. It’s not even good. There are tons of ads(it’s a free app so I get it but this is nuts) and they really slow the app down and sometimes cause it to freeze altogether. I’d pay for an ad free version if they ever made one. Another thing about the ads is they look so similar to stories

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