New NRC Android apps with automatic background downloading

Automatic background downloading is loved by all people reading their favourite newspaper. It significantly increases the speed to start reading a publication and it facilitates offline reading. On iOS, this feature was introduced in 2011 as part of the launch of Newsstand. On Android an out-of-the-box support for this feature does not exist. The Twipe Software Engineering team set out last year to develop an internal solution. We are proud to announce today that NRC is the first client to roll this out, together with a major update of their Android Apps.

Higher convenience for Android readers at NRC

NRC is one of the leading premium newspaper publishers in the Netherlands with a daily print circulation of 200.000. Seeing an increasing penetration of Android devices amongst its readers, NRC wanted to bring its Android apps at par with its offer on iPhone or iPad.

“This year we wanted to do something special for our Android users. The new apps of Twipe offer more convenience, faster access to the archive and an improved article reading.”, says Han-Menno Depeweg, Uitgever NRC Digitaal.

Automatic download drives engagement levels of readers

Last year, the Twipe Software Engineering team set out a target to implement automatic downloading on Android devices, in a way that exceeds the user experience on iOS devices.

By using some of the advanced features of Android push messages, the background download is not only visible for the user, but also provides an extra trigger to open the publication.

“Internal analysis has shown that people who receive their daily newspaper automatically in the background, will more frequently open their newspaper. There are more situations as well in which they can read their newspaper off line,” says Ruben Gees, Team Leader Sales & Marketing at Twipe.

[slideshare id=59016227&doc=nrcautomaticdownloading-160303114957]