Apple has not been counting the number of its News app users accurately. The company has confirmed that there was a glitch in estimating the actual number of Apple News users and it is now fixing the problem.
The Apple News app is bundled with iOS 9 or later OS's. The app allows users to read news stories that are based on topics or publishers he/she selects.
"News seamlessly delivers the articles you want to read in a beautiful and uncluttered format, while respecting your privacy, because Apple doesn't share your personal data," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior VP of Internet Software and Services in June 2015. "We already have nearly 20 publishers representing more than 50 titles joining us, including Condé Nast, ESPN, The New York Times, Hearst, Time Inc., CNN and Bloomberg."
Since the launch of Apple News, the app has attracted more than 100 publishing partners across the globe. The News app is aimed at capitalizing at the growing consumption of news on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Although the Apple app has attracted many users, the company did not provide an accurate report of its user statistics. Cue has also agreed that Apple has underestimated the number of Apple News app users.
"We're in the process of fixing that now, but our numbers are lower than reality," says Cue. "We don't know what the right number is."
Cue also added that it was better to undercount rather than overcount the traffic on Apple News. Cue explained that news publishers on the Apple News app do not have to pay Apple for the content they are posting. However, it is important that these publishers get an accurate number of users on the app as it will help them in selling ads, allocating resources accordingly.
Apple News publishers are allowed to keep 100 percent of the revenue when they sell their own ads into the app. However, the publishers get to keep 70 percent of the total ad revenue if Apple sells the ads on their behalf.
Cue says that the company was focusing on other aspects of the app and did not focus on finding the error that would count the actual number of users. Apple did not elaborate how the error occurred but it is important to know that the company is now working on rectifying the problem.
Nevertheless, Cue says that the company is happy with the News app so far. He also revealed that feedback from publishers is also positive. Some content publishers on Apple News are also pleased with the app's performance. However, none of the publishers have revealed the usage data shared by Apple.
Cue claims that 40 million people have used Apple's News app. However, Apple has not revealed how many people use the app on a regular basis.
The Apple News app is available in Australia, UK and the U.S. Customers in other parts of the world can expect Apple to launch the News app in more regions in the coming term.
