News-focused iOS app Flipboard today announced an update that introduces a new UI which creates custom, curated magazines based on various user "passions." The Version 4.0 update is said to be a direct response to the overabundance of news sources -- from magazines to online outlets and social media -- and serve as a way to "effortlessly get you to the things you love."

4
The heart of the new update is a featured called "Smart Magazine." Here users can search and specify specific passions and topics they care about (photography, movies, etc.), and Smart Magazine will create a digital collection of up-to-date stories and news on each topic, and continuously update the section as new stories break. The new tool is said to be curated "by experts and enthusiasts."

Flipboard 4.0 is a response to our ever-growing ecosystem of publishers, Flipboard Magazines, topics and more. With over 30 million magazines created, thousands of publishers on our platform, and tens of thousands of topics—plus input from social networks like Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn—we re-imagined Flipboard to more effortlessly get you to the things you love.

Long-time readers who follow lots of content should find a more streamlined experience, while new users will be able to dive right into their passions with minimal setup.

Users will be able to pick from a collection of sub-categories once they search for a Smart Magazine passion to follow, and a learning algorithm will improve Flipboard's news aggregation features over time. On the Home carosuel users can have up to nine Smart Magazines.


Flipboard originally launched on iPad in 2010, and then on iPhone in 2011, accompanied by a Tweet from Phil Schiller who remarked that the app was "very nice." Since then, Flipboard has gained a bevy of competitors in the online news aggregation space, including Apple News. In 2015 one competitor, Zite, bowed out of the race and encouraged fans to migrate to Flipboard in its stead.

At the time of writing, the update hasn't hit the App Store yet, but it should appear later in the day. Flipboard is available on the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Flipboard

Top Rated Comments

wolfpackfan Avatar
wolfpackfan
97 months ago
Disappointed the iPad version doesn't have all the features that the iPhone version has.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FlipboardJack Avatar
FlipboardJack
97 months ago
It's an OK update on the iDevices side, but not on the web. When I go to flipboard.com and click MacRumors (which I'm following), it just shows a blank page with the text "MacRumors hasn’t created any magazines yet." Also The Verge and Engadget are not working in the browser anymore. They all show updated thumbnails, but there is nothing there when you click it. So I'm not that happy with this update at this moment no.
Hello - my name is Jack, and I work on product at Flipboard. Very sorry you ran into this bug in the new version of our Web app this morning. We have now fixed this issue. Hoping you'll give it another try!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rhett7660 Avatar
rhett7660
97 months ago
Honestly, so have I. I'm trying to find sources that honestly try to verify if what someone says is true or not, and if their proposals are solutions or merely playing to an audience. Philosophical differences, intelligently delineated is what I'd like to find.
Some how I have a feeling you won't find this type of app, given most of these harvest your likes and then goes out and looks for similar items. You could always try RSS feeds, but then again you might find you are getting feeds from known places etc. That is the million dollar question! "verify if what someone says is true or not."

I have to wonder if what we have been feed this entire time has been nothing but a big lie! Sorry, I will remove the aluminium foil hat now. :eek::D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EdT Avatar
EdT
97 months ago
Oh great, another site/app that will feed us what we want to hear and shield us from what we don't.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rhett7660 Avatar
rhett7660
97 months ago
Because you can never know where you will find something interesting or enlightening that you are unaware of. Especially if you never even look. We've created echo chambers that bombard us with points of view we already believe verified by sources we always accept.
Honestly I hear what you are saying. I really do. But when it comes to what I want to read I am usually selective on where or what I read, but then again I do have a wide variety of topics and sources. But on the political front, over the past few months I have been steering way clear! :eek:
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imronburgundy Avatar
imronburgundy
97 months ago
Oh great, another site/app that will feed us what we want to hear and shield us from what we don't.
Where's the downvote button when we need one?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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