Apple launched its own News app to the public with iOS 9 back in September, and has confessed that it doesn’t actually know how many people have used the app, having been inadvertently underestimating its usage numbers since release.
VP Eddy Cue has revealed that an internal glitch caused Apple to report incorrect usage data, saying they “don’t know what the right number is. We’re in the process of fixing that, but our numbers are lower than reality.”
This means Apple has been giving publishers using the app the wrong information. They shouldn’t be too annoyed, however, as Cue confirmed that the real numbers will be higher than what was previously reported – meaning the news stories will be reaching more viewers than anticipated.
Shortly after launch CEO Tim Cook revealed that 40 million users had tried the app, and similar numbers have been reported since. It’s not been disclosed whether that refers to the number of people who have accessed the app, or the number who use it regularly. Either way, once the glitch is sorted we should see that 40 million figure increase.
Cue also said that despite the numbers gaffe, Apple was very happy with the progress of News so far, saying usage has “scaled very fast.” It has partnered with over a hundred publications, bagging some big exclusive articles.
Remember, News comes pre-installed with iOS 9 and you can follow all of our stories from the app – just search “TapSmart” and you can find this very article!