Apple doesn't know the number of readers using its News app: Report

Apple’s New app, which has over 100 publishing partners, may not have a clear idea of how many users are actually using the service. Reportedly, the company has been underestimating the number of readers using the News app since its launch, and has also been passing that inaccurate information to publishers. According to a report by Wall Street Journal, neither media companies, nor Apple is aware of the number of readers using the app. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services said the company missed the error, as it focused on other aspects of the product. He went on to add that Apple is in the process of fixing it and also states that the numbers are lower than reality, and it was better to under-count than over-count traffic. The report added, “The app is still in its infancy, but the audience-measurement issue, along with other uncertainties surrounding the selling and serving of ads, has raised questions among several publishers about whether Apple’s service will live up to its billing as a significant advancement in digital news distribution.” Eddy Cue has said that 40 million people have used the Apple News app to date, and hasn’t officially released data on how many readers use it frequently, nor on how much traffic it is generating for publishers. A previous report pointed out that Apple keeps track of what you read via the app to make recommendations and tailor advertising. The company promises not to link your reading habits with other services. So ad targeting based on news stories read will appear only in the News app, not while using other Apple services, such as Music. You can turn off ad targeting and clear your reading history as well.