NBC’s BreakingNews.com releases site, app update

Breaking News, part of the NBC News Digital Group, released today a major update to its iOS app and BreakingNews.com website that allows mobile users to personalize their breaking news feed.

With no registration or setup required, the redesigned app provides consumers with customizable and immediate news and information backed by the trusted editorial vetting of the Breaking News team. The Breaking News app launches today on all iOS systems and will be available for Android in the coming weeks.

Features of the new offerings include:

• “Mute”: By tapping the mute icon next to a topic or story, users can hide it – and all subsequent updates – from their feed. However, if there’s a major update to one of these muted topics, Breaking News will still send an alert for universally breaking news.
• “Whoa!”: When users are surprised by a breaking update, they can tap the “Whoa!” button and register their reaction with other Breaking News users. They can also choose to share the alert seamlessly on social, email, SMS or read-later services. As users “whoa” updates in real-time, they power a list of the most surprising stories, photos and videos at the bottom of the feed.
• The iOS app also features “Alert”: By tapping the alarm bell icon, users can get real-time push notifications whenever news breaks about a specific topic, from places and well-known people to ongoing stories. Each notification is a standalone alert featuring only new, original and significant updates. Merging speed with journalistic curation, this feature is especially powerful for mobile users.

Users can also pinpoint breaking alerts on a map, save topics for later viewing, choose from a higher volume of updates than Breaking News’ social accounts, and receive “editor’s notes” with inside guidance around conflicting or inaccurate social media reports, according to an NBC News release.

“Sometimes it seems like everything is ‘breaking news’ in today’s social media world, so we’ve rebuilt Breaking News to instantly deliver what matters to you,” said Cory Bergman, General Manager of Breaking News, in a statement. “Our new app is a personal alert service that enables users to control the breaking updates they want to discover without missing out on the unexpected. When combined with our track record of speed and accuracy, it’s a powerful tool for a new generation of mobile consumers.”

Download the new app here.