Google Play Newsstand took over from Google Play Magazines in November last year, and since then there’s been a few minor updates, but nothing terribly huge. Today Google has announced that the app will be getting an update to Material Design, preparing the way for the launch of Android L.
According to the Android Blog, the Material Design based update gives Google Play Newsstand ‘bigger images, more contextual headers and smoother transitions’. A better experience on phones is also promised, with a list of available articles that include an easy to see picture on the right.
Google has added topic cards in the ‘Explore’ section to let you start subscribing to topics you’re interested in – these topics will deliver what Google call a ‘personalized and up to date reading experience’. When first loading into Google Play Newsstand, you’ll choose from a selection of topics, which will drive your experience.
As we saw in the update to Google Play, there’s now larger images included to help draw your eye. Simple swipes to the left and right to switch between topics, and then swipe up and down to see more stories on a topic.
The new app should be rolling out to users now, if you’re a massive fan of Newsstand, then you can head grab the APK from below, or grab it yourself.
Crashes at the Splashscreen on my older Galaxy Tab 7.7, works fine on my Tab S.
On a side note: Does anyone know if this application refreshes only on opening (and pull down) or is updating in the background (based on the wifi ON/OFF, and charging YES/NO options. I’m seeing mixed information…
It does update for offline reading but it has always been a bit hit or miss. There is no way of controlling how often it updates and quite often it doesn’t finish saving the images. Haven’t spent enough time with the new version to see if this has been resolved.