Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Hawaii News Now vs MS NOW

Hawaii News Now 4.3★ · Free to download 65
Winner Hawaii News Now
MS NOW 4.1★ · Free to download 40

Hawaii News Now is the better choice for local news coverage, despite recent app issues and an abundance of ads, while MS NOW struggles with fundamental app functionality and a heavy reliance on cable subscriptions for live content.

Full reviews: Hawaii News Now · MS NOW

Hawaii News Now (HNN) provides timely local news and emergency alerts, but recent updates have introduced numerous bugs, excessive ads, and usability issues. MS NOW, while offering desired content, is plagued by persistent technical problems, frequent login requirements, and a restrictive live streaming model that frustrates users without cable subscriptions.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: Hawaii News NowR1R8R11R18
Hawaii News Now Hawaii News Now is praised for its up-to-date, reliable, and accurate daily news, especially for local events and emergency notifications R8R11. Users appreciate in-depth coverage, such as during the Maui wildfires . However, recent updates have removed features like sharing articles and previous newscasts, and some users find the content too Oahu-centric R1R18.
MS NOW MS NOW offers desired news content, with users appreciating the reporting . However, a major complaint is the inability to watch full live shows or past broadcasts without a cable subscription, with the app often only providing snippets . Users also report issues with missing features like dark mode and proper font size adjustments .
Ease of Use and User Interface tieR1R3R6R7
Hawaii News Now Many Hawaii News Now users report that recent updates have made the app's layout poor, cluttered, and difficult to navigate R1. Specific complaints include small title font sizes, incomplete headlines, and difficulty going full screen R6R7R31. The app is also described as 'touchy' when watching live, leading to accidental exits R3.
MS NOW MS NOW users frequently describe the app as not user-friendly and frustrating . Issues include the app freezing, not opening, or crashing consistently . There are also complaints about the app not rotating for iPad landscape view, making it inconvenient for tablet users .
Reliability and Performance edge: MS NOWR3R4R9R10
Hawaii News Now Hawaii News Now suffers from significant reliability issues, particularly with its live stream, which users report frequently doesn't load, crashes, or has audio/video sync problems R3R9R12R14. Articles often fail to open from notifications R10. Some users also report the app not working on newer devices or after iOS updates R4.
MS NOW MS NOW has severe reliability problems, with the app frequently failing to open, crashing, or freezing on various devices, including Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad . Live stream issues are common, with error messages and buffering . Users also report problems with multiple audio tracks playing simultaneously .
Price/Value and Ads tieR5R13R16R21
Hawaii News Now Hawaii News Now is free to download, but users are overwhelmed by an excessive number of intrusive ads and pop-ups R5R13R16R21. Ads often play automatically with sound, delay access to content, and appear every time the app is opened or an article is clicked R16R21.
MS NOW MS NOW is free to download but heavily relies on cable provider logins for live content, frustrating users who have cut the cord . The app is also criticized for its repetitive and loud commercials, which often play multiple times in a row or over the beginning of shows . Some users would prefer a paid, ad-free option .
Support and Updates tieR1R2R4R6
Hawaii News Now Hawaii News Now users express frustration with recent updates that have negatively impacted the app's functionality and user experience, suggesting a lack of effective support or testing R1R2R4. Users ask for features to be restored or for bugs to be fixed, indicating that issues persist post-update R1R2R6.
MS NOW MS NOW users report persistent issues with logging in, especially with TV providers, and frequent demands to re-authenticate or reinstall the app . This suggests poor integration or a lack of responsiveness from the development team. Users also complain about updates breaking functionality or making the app incompatible with older devices .
Pick Hawaii News Now if

You want reliable local news and emergency alerts for Hawaii, are willing to tolerate a high volume of ads and some recent app glitches, and prioritize timely, in-depth coverage of regional events R8R11.

Pick MS NOW if

You are a dedicated MS NOW viewer with a cable TV subscription and are willing to endure frequent login issues, repetitive loud commercials, and general app instability to access their content .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, and much of the negativity for both stems from ad intrusion and technical issues, which are common for free news apps. MS NOW's issues are compounded by its reliance on cable provider logins for full live access, which is a significant barrier for many users.

Frequently asked

Can I watch live news on these apps?
Hawaii News Now offers a live stream, but users report it is often unreliable, crashes frequently, and can have audio/video sync issues R3R9R12R14. MS NOW's live streaming is heavily restricted and generally requires a cable TV subscription to access full shows, frustrating users who do not have one .
Are there many ads in these news apps?
Yes, both apps are heavily criticized for excessive and intrusive ads. Hawaii News Now users report numerous pop-up ads every time the app is opened or an article is clicked, often playing automatically with sound R5R13R16R21. MS NOW users complain about repetitive and loud commercials, sometimes playing the same ad multiple times in a row, which can also interrupt the beginning of shows .
Do these apps work well on tablets like iPad or Apple TV?
Hawaii News Now users report issues on iPad, including difficulty going full screen, small title font sizes, and general unresponsiveness R3R4R6R31. MS NOW has significant problems on Apple TV, with users reporting the app frequently failing to open, freezing, or having trouble with TV provider authentication . On iPads, MS NOW is criticized for not supporting landscape mode, making it inconvenient for tablet use .

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. [R1] Hawaii News Now 2/5 · US App got worse: The new updated app is junk.. Layout not good.. Cannot share the article no more.. Bring back the old style app
  2. [R8] Hawaii News Now 5/5 · US Notification Issue: Excellent app, very reliable. I got an emergency notification from here before the alert went out!!! The traffic updates are also very timely. I used to have an issue with the articles not opening from the notifications but it seems like it was fixed.
  3. [R11] Hawaii News Now 5/5 · US My go To’s in the mornings!: Excellent up to date;reliable&accurate daily resource and always fresh. Mahalo nui HNN!
  4. [R18] Hawaii News Now 3/5 · US Used to be good: Articles are non-shareable with the new update
  5. [R3] Hawaii News Now 3/5 · US Very touchy app for live news: The app is very touchy on iPhone and iPad when watching live. One wrong move or touch on my device and I lose the live and have to go back. The mandatory ads that pop up first mean I miss a chunk of news. Today the audio is about 30 seconds ahead of the video. Never would I rely on their weather app since they can’t even get the news app sorted out.
  6. [R6] Hawaii News Now 3/5 · US Title font size: Font size for titles on the new update on my iPad are way small. Really hard to read. Any way to make font size larger? Thanks!
  7. [R7] Hawaii News Now 1/5 · US Show the whole headline: You can only see a few words of the headline, which makes it hard to know if you want to click on the article or not. There is plenty of room to fit the entire headline.
  8. [R4] Hawaii News Now 1/5 · US Poor app: Hawaii news now doesn’t work for iPhone 16pro and iPad since the latest iOS updates.
  9. [R9] Hawaii News Now 3/5 · US Glitchy: App does not always work. Live feed does not load. I have been going to other news stations to get local news in the morning.
  10. [R10] Hawaii News Now 1/5 · US Can’t open the news articles!: Can’t open the news articles. Happens alot! Yes app up to date. Yes strong wifi. Etc etc. The videos are on a whole other level…
  11. [R5] Hawaii News Now 4/5 · US Way too many google ads that difficult to get out of. Way too many!: Same as the title
  12. [R13] Hawaii News Now 1/5 · US This App sucks: I guess commercials are more important than reporting the news. Especially the App on Roku as soon as you start watching they have to play a commercial. It’s very frustrating to say the least!
  13. [R16] Hawaii News Now 1/5 · US Advertising Only: What the hell? It was already almost purely ads, now in June 2026 you have to watch an ad just to click on a story, after navigating through more ads!
  14. [R21] Hawaii News Now 3/5 · US Terrible pop ups every time you open the app: I understand marketing but this is very excessive. Every time you open the app there’s a pop up, you click on the weather, but then you go back to the app another pop up ad.
  15. [R2] Hawaii News Now 4/5 · US Since Update …: … the app doesn’t clear the notifications. It always shows one (1) notification. Should I delete the app & reload it?
  16. [R12] Hawaii News Now 3/5 · US Inconsistent function.: The app is so inconsistent with the livestream feature. Usually the livestream function never works. I appreciate the interface updates, but for folks who do not have local tv access, the livestream is needed and needs to be fixed.
  17. [R14] Hawaii News Now 4/5 · US Livestream: Need to update the livestream it keep crashing within 5 on the app and the website
  18. [R31] Hawaii News Now 2/5 · US Unable to go full screen: try to watch news broadcast at full screen and would not go into full screen mode on iPad

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