Chicago Tribune
A news reader app for Chicago Tribune content
by Tribune Publishing Company, LLC
iPhone · iPad
Quick verdict
- What it is
- The Chicago Tribune app provides news, sports, business, and entertainment coverage, with features like offline reading, push notifications, and personalized news feeds.
- Best for
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- someone who wants to stay informed about Chicago news
- At a glance
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- Free to download
- In-app purchases
Categories and search queries
Official categories
- News
- Reference
AppCorpus categories
People use this app to
Relevant searches
- download books for a flight
- ebook reader without streaming
- read offline on a commute
Key functions
| Function | Availability | Access | Scope | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free app | Yes | Free | — | Store published |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Limited free | — | Store published |
| Offline reading | Yes | Unknown | — |
From listing
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Screens
App Store
15 store screenshots
Pricing & paywalls
App Store
- Chicago Tribune — $199.99
- Credit Access — $0.99
- News Apps Only — $19.99
- Premium Story Credits — $0.99
- Unlimited Digital Access — $19.99
- Unlimited Digital Access — $198.99
- 30-day free trial
Ratings & reviews
App Store
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4/5Programming is off
For the past two weeks, I have not been able to read anything on this app. I normally read the paper in the “landscape“ mode I am reading on my iPad. Nothing I do with the iPad will allow the app to be readable in landscape mode, I even have problems with “portrait” mode. The paper is only readable when the side with the cord is on the bottom. That means I can’t stand the iPad in portrait mode and read it. If I turn the iPad 180°, then I can stand it on a table and prop it up to try and read it. Unfortunately, the app does not turn the text so that it could be readable in that way next. Paragraph I am not sure, but I suspect the problem is caused by the new version of iPadOS. Please fix this or I will have to cancel my subscription.
MVChester · 30 Aug 2026
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4/5Tribune Critique
The paper is quite inconsistent and biased in their reporting! At times their investigative reporting has been excellent in exposing corruption and and unethical behavior in our state, local, and sometimes national politicians and elected officials, but constantly reluctant to call out police brutality and misconduct right under their noses. Their attempt at being self righteous conservatives is ironic as Chicago is the most historically racist, corrupt, and segregated city in the country. Some of your journalists are still stuck “ in once upon a time “! They need to wake up and examine their role in being complicit at keeping Chicago “ hopeless” for the thousands of African-Americans who still call Chicago home. And it’s ashamed you’re still committed to hiring the same ole folks whose point of view is that of people (readers)who you think look exactly like you. There are a diverse group of people who read your paper. They aren’t reflected in your journalist agenda of “ lily white suburbanites”or rich white Gold Coast folks. Your sports pages are the worst ! Sexist, misogynistic, and racist! Continual perpetuation of the great white “ Superman! Looking at your sports section, you would think women don’t play sports or even know about sports! Your Sunday features always seem to exclude minorities! Lots of diverse groups read the Tribune. Even if it’s just the Sunday edition. During this pandemic nothing about this paper changed even though more people found the time to read the paper! Go figure!!!
Belinda the Observer · 30 Aug 2026
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2/5Frustrating to Navigate
As a paid subscriber, I would expect a little less advertising. Even if that can’t be the case, the way that the app is laid out and the way that the ads load, you constantly lose your place since the ads and images load slow and then move things around on the page. One second you could be about to click the story you want to read, then an ad loads and you’re clicking on something completely different. Then you hit back to go back to the article selection and you start the whole process over. Searching for an article is also brutal (not a problem exclusive to the app - the website is just as bad). Even if I know what I’m looking for - say aldermanic endorsements, searching for that phrase doesn’t bring up anything related, or it brings up prior year and not the current year. Last, the lack of a digital edition of the paper where I can see exactly what the paper looks like if I received it in print is beyond frustrating. It’s difficult enough to find the stories of that day vs ones that have been posted for days, but not being able to see what the front page stories are for a given day as a paid subscriber just makes no sense.
Photogsteve18 · 30 Aug 2026
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3/5Fair to middling
Sorry, struggled to find the right end to start. As to Trib itself, clearly not what it used to be. More worries about hedge fund take-over, which might lead to my cancellation altogether assuming all original content then gone, given all the *retirements* of credible and knowledgeable local news, arts, and sports reports over the last several years. As to App, ironically, not sure all stories from print editions make it on, or at least in an intuitively findable way. More annoying is the fact that certain articles (for local stories!) appear to open directly to the web page, which then are almost always blocked by a pop-up ad offering me a subscription to the Trib. My previous complaints about this resulted only in the advice that I reload the App. Problem not solved. Befuddled to understand why this would continue to be an issue for local coverage, as opposed to, say, all the reprints from New York Times or Washington post. I also subscribe to those and am not relying on the Trib to rely those to me.
LaFortunate Son · 30 Aug 2026
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5/5Why a city paper?
Why a 5-star rating? It is resting on its laurels. I’ve given it 5 as wishful thinking for the future. I depend upon the Trib in print and electronically and WTTW for Chicagoland news. Neighborhood news is ably covered by the Hyde Park Herald. For national news I subscribe electronically to The Washington Post and the New York Times. For television, I depend upon News Nation for balanced reporting. I am weary of the opinions and slanted combative coverage provided by MSNBC, CNN and Fox News. News Nation is a refreshing change presented by skillful journalists. For the Tribune I would very much enjoy having more in depth articles and more investigative reporting. Ours is a vibrant city. The newspaper should mirror that. I would like to see the Tribune benefit from setting their in-house expectations much higher and basking in the subsequent praise from the readership.
Skystone 2 · 30 Aug 2026
Privacy & accessibility
App Store
Privacy
- Data Linked to You — Analytics — Browsing History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Analytics — Identifiers — Device ID Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Analytics — Identifiers — User ID Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Analytics — Search History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Analytics — Usage Data — Advertising Data Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Analytics — Usage Data — Product Interaction Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — App Functionality — Browsing History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — App Functionality — Identifiers — Device ID Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — App Functionality — Identifiers — User ID Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — App Functionality — Search History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — App Functionality — Usage Data — Product Interaction Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Browsing History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Contact Info — Email Address Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Contact Info — Name Developer declared
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- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Purchases — Purchase History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Search History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Usage Data — Advertising Data Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Usage Data — Product Interaction Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Product Personalization — Browsing History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Product Personalization — Identifiers — Device ID Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Product Personalization — Identifiers — User ID Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Product Personalization — Search History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Product Personalization — Usage Data — Product Interaction Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising — Browsing History Developer declared
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- Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising — Search History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising — Usage Data — Advertising Data Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising — Usage Data — Product Interaction Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Browsing History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Contact Info Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Identifiers Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Purchases Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Search History Developer declared
- Data Linked to You — Usage Data Developer declared
- Data Not Linked to You — Analytics — Diagnostics — Crash Data Developer declared
- Data Not Linked to You — Analytics — Diagnostics — Performance Data Developer declared
- Data Not Linked to You — App Functionality — Diagnostics — Performance Data Developer declared
- Data Not Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing — Diagnostics — Crash Data Developer declared
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- Data Not Linked to You — Product Personalization — Diagnostics — Performance Data Developer declared
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- Data Not Linked to You — Diagnostics Developer declared
- Data Used to Track You — Browsing History Developer declared
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- Data Used to Track You — Identifiers — Device ID Developer declared
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- Data Used to Track You — Usage Data — Advertising Data Developer declared
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- Data Used to Track You — Usage Data Developer declared
Accessibility
No accessibility labels collected yet.
Versions
App Store
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10.0.29
Added update time to article Added election charts to articles Minor bug fixes and improvements
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10.0.30
Bug fixes
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10.0.31
Added a trending bar to the homescreen Minor bug fixes and improvements
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10.0.32
Minor login enhancements Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.34
- You can now find your Newspaper in the bottom navigation! - Within articles you can see Live Blogging of all your live news updates! - Saved articles can now be found in the Sections tab. - Notification to show new updates - Minor bug fixes and enhancements
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10.0.35
Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.36
Bug Fixes and Maintenance
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10.0.37
Minor bug fixes and enhancements
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10.0.40
Added support for A/B testing. Improved loading experience with a new loading indicator. Fixed an issue where saved articles were not available offline for some users. Adjusted homepage section colors to match your local publication. Fixed logo stretching. Minor improvements and bug fixes.
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10.0.41
You can now find Games in the Sections tab!
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10.0.42
Fixed crash in articles
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10.0.43
Fixed article refreshing issue
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10.0.44
You can now find Games in the Trending Bar and Sections!
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10.0.45
Minor Bug Fixes and Maintenance
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10.0.47
Added a Games section to the bottom navigation bar for quick access to puzzles and entertainment New segmented controls in Your News to easily switch between "For You," "Saved," and "Alerts" Updated confirmation messaging when managing your privacy preferences Minor bug fixes and improvements
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10.0.48
Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.49
Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.50
Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.51
Added audio playback to articles for a new way to listen to stories Improvements to app stability and reliability across supported devices Minor bug fixes and performance improvements
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10.0.52
Bugs and Maintenance
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10.0.53
Fix for universal deep links that were not opening the correct article
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10.0.54
Bug Fixes and Maintenance
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10.0.56
Bug Fixes and Maintenance
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10.0.58
Support for World Cup content Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.59
· 3 Jul 2026
Added in-app audio player Bug fixes and maintenance
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10.0.60
· 21 Aug 2026
Enhanced Audio Controls: Refreshed audio player interface above the navigation bar, improved notification controls, and fixed disappearing player controls. Dynamic Island Integration: Added support for Dynamic Island audio playback and updates on supported devices. Expanded Home Screen Widgets: New and expanded widget options for quicker access to news directly from your Home Screen. Resolved an authentication bug that prevented login via Facebook. Bugs and maintenance
Alternatives
- Chicago Sun-Times — Same category + similar ratings
- WGN News - Chicago — Same category + similar ratings
- ABC7 Chicago News & Weather — Same category + similar ratings
- NBC 5 Chicago: News & Weather — Same category + similar ratings
- LA Times — Same category + similar ratings
- Crain's Chicago Business — Same category + similar ratings
Availability by market
- US
Data quality & evidence
- Page completeness
- Independent summary published
- Last verified
- 30 Aug 2026
- Sources
- App Store