How to Use Apple News in macOS

It’s been a few years since macOS Monterey ushered in the wave of applications that work on the iPhone, iPad, and even the Mac. Originally, the project was called Marzipan, but now, those apps are identified as being “Catalyst” apps. Fast forward a few years, as the latest version of macOS is now called macOS Ventura, and Catalyst apps are still offering some of the best experiences on the platform.

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This marked a slew of new apps that originated on iOS but are now available on the Mac. These include Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home, which stem from a project called Marzipan. However, the Apple News app has remained a mainstay on macOS ever since it was introduced alongside macOS Monterey.

How to Use Apple News

Getting started with the News app on your Mac is just as easy as it is on iOS. You will be greeted with a large section with a rather basic “Welcome to Apple News” splash screen with a Continue button at the bottom.

If you’ve already used Apple News on your other Apple devices, and signed in with the same Apple ID, then there’s not much you need to worry about when it comes to customizing or personalizing the app.

In the left sidebar, there are a few sub-sections that show off your news sources, suggestions, and more. However, when it comes to interacting with individual posts, Apple has made everything extremely simple.

Not only will you be able to view articles from your favorite sources, but there is also video support. That means that if there is a video embedded in the article, you can still view it from the News app with no issues.

After you have finished reading the content, there are two sections at the bottom. The first shows more content from the site that you’re currently reading, while the other shows Related Stories. And if you are an Apple News+ subscriber, then you’ll also see a section titled “News+ Recommended Reads”.

Following

In the sidebar of Apple News, there are a few different ways to interact with the app. In the top left corner of the app, you’ll find a search bar that can be used to locate articles surrounding a specific topic, a publication, or even an author.

Here’s a list of all of the different sections you’ll find if you use Apple News or News+:

• Apple News
  • Today
  • News+
  • Shared with You
  • Saved Stories
  • History
• Special Coverage
• Favorites
• Following
• Suggested by Siri

These will need to be groomed and selected by you, which you can do with the help of Siri Suggestions or Browse. Clicking each source takes you to the home page of that site, then you can interact just like you do in the browser.

At the top of the list, there is an Edit button which will show a red icon to the left. From there, you tap that icon and select the Remove button.

Suggested By Siri

Listed below your Following section is Suggested By Siri. These categories will populate based on your likes and dislikes, while also giving you some additional content to read.

If you end up finding a source that you enjoy and want to add, there are some options at your disposal. You can click the Share button in the top right corner, which will present a pop-up menu. From here, you have the following options:

• Copy Link
• Save Story
• Suggest More
• Suggest Less
• Go to Channel
• Follow Channel
• Block Channel
• Report a Concern

Pressing the like button will add the category to your Following list. While, as expected, pressing the dislike button will remove the category from your Siri Suggestions.

Search

If you find yourself wanting to cultivate a more personalized reading experience, Apple News has you covered. The application includes a Search functionality so you can look for websites, Topics, Channels, and more.

Simply click the search bar and enter whatever site you want to add to the list. Then, you can press the three horizontal dots in the bottom right corner of the card, and opt to Go To Channel, Unfollow Channel, or Block Channel.

Saved & History

One of the best part of any news-oriented application is the ability to save posts for later. Maybe you’re scrolling through and find something that piques your interest but you don’t have time to read it.

Apple News takes care of this as you can simply save the article and it will be added to the Saved section. When you find an article you want to save, press CMD + S on your keyboard, or go to File > Save Story.

As expected, the History section just shows you an overview of articles and pieces that you have already read or watched. There’s really not much you can do with these, except to use the share button to send them to your friends, family, or others.\

Despite not including much functionality, it’s still important to have a History section in general. It’s great to see Apple News include this, but we would like to see more features added.

Notifications

Regardless of which device you use, there is a love-hate relationship with Notifications. For the news-hungry people, you can have Apple News send alerts whenever news breaks.

Instead of just leaving the toggle turned on for every channel you follow, Apple turns these off by default. However, you can click File > Manage Notifications and Email in order to adjust the settings. From there, simply tap the toggle next to the different Channels that you follow, then click the Done button.

Unfortunately, you cannot set notifications for Topics. Instead, you are left to set these alerts for specific channels. Obviously, an alert will appear in the top right-hand corner of your screen and Notification Center.

Conclusion

Apple News is one of those apps that has been requested for some time. With the help of Apple’s Marzipan and Cataylst initiative, it’s easier than ever to keep up with your favorite news sources. And Apple News+ takes things even further as you gain the following features:

• Access to hundreds of magazines and leading newspapers
• Apple News+ audio stories
• Local news from top regional sources
• Sports coverage from local and premium publications
• Reading online and off across devices
• Cover-to-cover magazines
• Family Sharing for up to six

Let us know what you think about the new Apple News and if you are interested in this app on your Mac. Also, let us know if you run into any issues when using the latest Mac app.

Andrew Myrick

Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.

He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.