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

13 ON YOUR SIDE News vs Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR

13 ON YOUR SIDE News 4.7★ · Free to download 60
Winner Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR
Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR 4.8★ · Free to download 65

Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR (App B) has a slight edge due to fewer complaints about excessive ads and a generally higher lifetime rating, despite both apps suffering from recent negative updates.

Full reviews: 13 ON YOUR SIDE News · Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR

Both news apps struggle with recent updates that have negatively impacted user experience, leading to issues with app functionality, navigation, and ad frequency. App B, Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR, maintains a higher lifetime rating and receives fewer complaints about intrusive advertising compared to App A, 13 ON YOUR SIDE News.

Head to head

Features tieR9R11R20R21
13 ON YOUR SIDE News Users appreciate local and national news coverage, weather forecasts, and alerts R11R20. However, some report a lack of daily updates, old news, and missing features like high school sports or water temperatures R9R21R27.
Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR Users value local and national news, weather alerts, and live radar . However, many complain about the removal of the old, superior standalone weather app, lack of search functionality, and repetitive or non-local stories R61.
Ease of Use tieR1R2R4R24
13 ON YOUR SIDE News Many users find the app confusing and not user-friendly, especially after recent updates R4R24R60. Issues include difficulty finding articles, constant scrolling due to ad placement, and problems with screen rotation R1R2R60.
Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR Users frequently report that the app is clunky, complicated, and hard to navigate, especially after recent updates . Specific complaints include lack of a search function, tiny unadjustable font, and forced portrait mode on tablets .
Reliability tieR7R10R13R16
13 ON YOUR SIDE News The app is plagued with reliability issues, including not opening, crashing, freezing, slow loading times, and radar malfunctions R7R10R13. Notifications also sometimes fail R16.
Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR Users report significant reliability problems, particularly after updates. These include the app not loading content, freezing, crashing when trying to access weather or radar, and slow boot times R63. Notifications are also reported as broken or redirecting to non-loading pages .
Price/Value edge: Indianapolis News from 13 WTHRR1R3R11R12
13 ON YOUR SIDE News As a free app, users value the access to local news and alerts R11. However, the value is diminished by the overwhelming number of ads and pop-ups R1R3R12R15.
Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR Users appreciate getting free local news and weather alerts . While some mention ads, the complaints about ad frequency and intrusiveness are less pronounced than for App A, with one user specifically noting the absence of ads during videos as a major benefit .
Support tieR2R16R39R42
13 ON YOUR SIDE News One user mentioned contacting the app developers about slow loading but noted that nothing was done R39. Other issues like screen rotation, notification problems, and crashing suggest a lack of responsive support R2R16R42.
Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR Users report that recent updates have ruined the app, with many wishing for the old version or fixes for current issues R61. The consistent negative feedback on updates suggests that user concerns are not being adequately addressed.
Pick 13 ON YOUR SIDE News if

You are in West Michigan and prioritize local news content, are willing to tolerate frequent ads and occasional app glitches, and appreciate positive reporting .

Pick Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR if

You are in the Indianapolis area and seek comprehensive local news and weather alerts, are less tolerant of excessive ads, and value a news team known for trusted, unbiased coverage .

Evidence note: Both apps are free, so negative reviews often stem from free-tier friction (ads, performance issues). Recent updates have significantly impacted both apps, leading to a skew of negative reviews that contrast with their higher lifetime ratings. The evidence for support is indirect, based on unaddressed user complaints.

Frequently asked

Do these apps have many ads?
Yes, both apps have ads, but 13 ON YOUR SIDE News (App A) receives significantly more complaints about excessive, intrusive, and full-screen ads that disrupt reading and navigation R1R3R12R15. Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR (App B) has some ads, but users specifically note fewer ads during videos as a benefit .
Are the weather features reliable in these apps?
Both apps have issues with their weather features. 13 ON YOUR SIDE News (App A) users report radar doing repetitive loops and the weather section being a mess or slow to load R4R60. Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR (App B) users frequently criticize the new weather integration, stating the radar is abysmal, often doesn't work, or crashes the app, and many miss the old, separate weather app R61R63.
Have recent updates improved these apps?
No, recent updates have generally worsened the user experience for both apps. Users of 13 ON YOUR SIDE News (App A) describe the 'new and improved' app as not user-friendly, confusing, and prone to glitches and crashes R4R7R24R27. Similarly, Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR (App B) users frequently state that recent updates have ruined the app, making it clunky, unreliable, slow, and harder to navigate, with many preferring the old version R61.

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. [R9] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Updates?: Why are there not daily updates? Seem to be on about 2-3 day basis?
  2. [R11] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 5/5 · US Love it!: A great app for getting local and national news.
  3. [R20] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 5/5 · US Snow: If snow is in the forecast today You can also count on 13 to give you the best forecast possible
  4. [R21] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US News: Isn’t there anything going on in the world besides Corona? It’s like there’s nothing else going on? Tired of hearing the same thing over and over
  5. [R1] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Ui issues: Would be nice to see the entire list of articles without having to tap hold and slide screen up because advertising is keeping the full screen from being displayed
  6. [R2] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 4/5 · US Screen won’t rotate: Why won’t my screen rotate anymore? This is beyond frustrating! Please fix this.
  7. [R4] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Downgrade: The “new and improved” app is not user friendly. It is hard to find things. The weather is a mess. The radar does the same loop over and over instead if a true 12 hour loop.
  8. [R24] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Too confusing: I liked the old app better. This one is too confusing and hard to find what you are actually looking for. I tend to get frustrated and give up.
  9. [R7] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US App is glitchy then they recently brought back Jimmy Kimmel: Deleting this app due to glitches, it has unfollowing and will not support again due to bringing back Jimmy Kimmel!!
  10. [R10] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Does not open: I had this app and all of a sudden it quit working. I deleted it and reloaded it. It will not open !!!
  11. [R13] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Not Ok: No longer installed still taking up most data 😐
  12. [R16] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 1/5 · US Notification issue!: I am not getting any university of Michigan football notifications PLEASE FIX ASAP!
  13. [R3] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Website/app: I don’t want a pile of ads popping up when I’m trying to read an article. I can’t stand that you guys don’t edit your headlines before you post them because there’s always misspellings in them And quit sensationalizing all the news you start to sound like entertainment tonight
  14. [R12] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Mobile app: Mobile app keeps bouncing back to advertisements. Very aggravating!
  15. [R39] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Too Slow To Load: I've had this app for awhile and since it has been changed, it has become a lot slower to load. I think the format is pretty good otherwise. I'm a big fan of WZZM and I had contacted them about the problem but nothing was done.
  16. [R42] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Crash please fix: Having issues with the top news category crashing the app. Please fix loved getting up to date on news stories.
  17. [R15] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Great reporting, too many ads: 13 OYS is the best local news source for West Michigan, but the app has too many ads that make the app difficult to navigate.
  18. [R60] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 4/5 · US It’s nice having local news, but the design is unintuitive: I love having my local news in a separate app, as it’s guaranteed relevant to me, but navigating inside the app can be a tad frustrating unless you’re only interested in the “featured stories.” Also, the weather section is slow to load and I’d rather not have to download the separate weather app for basic radar functionality.
  19. [R61] Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR 1/5 · US Awful compared to old weather app: Quite possibly the worst downgrade ever when compared to the former WTHR weather app. The radar on this app is abysmal compared to the old app. Terrible decision to get rid of the former app.
  20. [R63] Indianapolis News from 13 WTHR 3/5 · US App: Everytime I open the radar is closes the app like I didn’t click on anything you guys need to fix this thing
  21. [R27] 13 ON YOUR SIDE News 3/5 · US Not improved: New update does not include water temperatures, and is choppy. Scrolling jumps around and is constantly loading ads, very disruptive. I’ll give it a couple days, but will remove if it doesn’t improve.

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