Getting the most out of The Banner’s new mobile app

The Banner’s new mobile app gives readers more ways to stay connected to local news across Maryland. Launched in 2022, the original app offered a simple way to access The Banner’s journalism on mobile devices. Now, entering its fifth year, the organization has grown — along with its audience, coverage, and the ways readers engage with local news.

Built from the ground up through collaboration among The Banner’s product, technology and engineering teams, the app reflects a shared goal to create a better, more useful experience. From design and user experience to the technology behind it, the teams worked together to put readers first and deliver The Banner’s journalism in the ways people need and want it, making it easier to read, watch, listen and stay connected to the communities they care about most.

Biswajit Ganguly, chief technology officer, and Nicole Orders, senior vice president of product, shared what readers can expect from the new app experience and how to get the most out of it.

Download or update the Banner app to try the new features!

Q: Why should readers download the Banner app, and what value does it bring them?

Nicole: With our new app, readers can more easily fit local news from The Banner into their daily routine. Maybe you like to listen on your way to the office while commuting, swipe through our video feed while sitting in the carpool line, or read the latest news from The Banner after dinner when you finally have 10 minutes to yourself. The app puts all of those options in your hands.

Q: Why did The Banner decide to build a completely new app instead of continuing with the previous one?

Biswajit: The previous app helped us launch quickly and gave readers an easy way to access The Banner’s journalism on their phones. It served an important purpose in helping us grow and reach audiences wherever they were.

As The Banner grew, we knew we needed to build a stronger foundation for the future. We wanted an app that could support features readers will benefit from and allow us to deliver those improvements at high speed.

Most importantly, we wanted to put trust and journalism first. The new app helps us bring The Banner’s reporting directly to readers in a faster, more useful and more accessible way.

Q: What are some of your favorite new features?

Biswajit: Some of my favorite new features are the Listen tab, Watch tab, For You experience and improved search.

The Listen tab makes it easier to hear the latest and trending articles on the go. The Watch tab gives you one place to swipe through short videos in a familiar, easy-to-use format. The For You tab lets you follow the topics and reporters you care about and quickly find articles you have saved for later. Search has also become more relevant and will continue to improve.

Together, these features make the app more useful, more personal and easier to fit into your day.

Q: How does the app help readers stay connected to the communities they care about most?

Biswajit: The app was designed to help readers stay connected to the communities they care about most through region-specific content, relevant alerts, regional coverage and a first-class commenting experience.

You can choose the regions and topics that matter to you, so the app can surface more local news that is relevant to your daily life. You can also receive timely alerts based on those preferences, making it easier to stay informed about what is happening in your community.

Beyond the news itself, we also wanted to create a stronger sense of connection. The improved commenting experience gives you a better way to engage in thoughtful conversations with fellow community members directly in the app.

Q: Readers can also follow reporters in the app. Why is that important?

Nicole: This latest version of our app gives readers a chance to get to know our reporters, particularly through the Watch tab. You can see their faces, hear their voices and see how they provide coverage. We are trying to engage with the communities we serve across Maryland, and putting faces to the names of our reporters is important.

We have also tried to create bite-sized experiences. Videos in the Watch tab are 90 seconds or less, and articles indicate how long it will take to listen to them. The hope is that this helps you fit our content into your daily routine.

Lastly, I encourage readers to share our content. Spread the word to friends and family, because we believe local news from The Banner is one of the best ways to serve neighbors across Maryland.

Q: For readers who already have the app, what should they expect and do they need to do anything?

Nicole: We have tried to make this upgrade as seamless and easy as possible. If you already have the Banner app and automatic app updates turned on, you will not have to do anything. Your previous settings, preferences and interests will be migrated into the updated experience.

If your phone does not automatically update apps, you may need to open the App Store or Google Play and install the latest version.

To download The Banner app, click here.