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Apple News to add micro-payments and third-party ads?

Do you use Apple’s built-in News app to get your daily dose of news? If so, things may soon be changing…

Apple has come to a deal with Google to support its “DoubleClick” third-party ad network in the app. This means that we could start seeing more inline adverts when reading the day’s news. Apple is also toying with the idea of introducing micro transactions to unlock articles hidden behind a paywall.

On the face of it, this sounds like bad news – nobody wants more ads and more charges, right? – but there is a silver lining for users. This move could entice more high-quality content to the platform, as the lackluster monetization options in News at present have put off a lot of publishers. And the micropayments, unlike App Store purchases which start around a dollar, would be measured in “cents at a time,” according to Apple.

Thankfully the micropayments, unlike App Store purchases which start around a dollar, would be measured in “cents at a time” according to Apple. This could potentially be a good system to allow users to read the odd individual article from a publisher with a paywall, without becoming a subscriber to its magazine or service.

How exactly this would all work isn’t yet clear, and it’s unlikely to be introduced in time for iOS 11. But the deal is an interesting look at the future of the News app: more ads, micropayments, but (in theory) much more content.