Skip to main content

You can now access the revamped Google Play Newsstand on your browser

google play newsstand web
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Google Play Newsstand finally has a web interface. The app has previously only been available on Android and iOS app.

It’s one of the few Play-branded Google services to get its own dedicated web app — the other is Music. Google Play Books, Movies & TV, and Games are only accessible via the Google Play Store. Oddly, while you can access the dedicated Google Play Music site through the Play Store, there is no way to access the Newsstand website — you can only manage your feed.

The website’s design mimics the recent visual overhaul on the mobile counterpart in design. You will find the weather forecast at the top along with a search bar and a middle column below shows the day’s news. To access different categories and publications, like tech or the New York Times, you can click the Library icon in the sidebar or pull out the hamburger menu.

The Read Later tab allows you to access articles you tag on your mobile device and you can also access any magazine content you have subscribed to via the Magazines tab.

Interestingly, web articles open either as a new tab with the original source or as a pop-up on the Newsstand site. The pop-up variants load much faster and you do not need to hit the back button to reload the Newsstand site to resume scrolling.

The service now has better multimedia controls and it also uses machine learning to “find and recommend the most timely, relevant stories for you based on your individual interests.”

“We have improved our support for multimedia content building on the AMP support we launched earlier this year,” writes Sami Shalabi, head of product and engineering for Play Newsstand. “Scroll through your feed, and you will see autoplay videos, easy podcast controls, and high-resolution, full-bleed images. Every story and topic in Newsstand now comes to life in a more engaging, beautiful presentation.”

Google says Newsstand has more than 100 million monthly users and the new updates for Android and iOS should be available now. You can access the web app here. Unfortunately, the Newsstand web app only works on Google’s Chrome browser.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
Google has a magical new way for you to control your Android phone
Holding the Google Pixel 8 Pro, showing its Home Screen.

You don’t need your hands to control your Android phone anymore. At Google I/O 2024, Google announced Project Gameface for Android, an incredible new accessibility feature that will let users control their devices with head movements and facial gestures.

There are 52 unique facial gestures supported. These include raising your eyebrow, opening your mouth, glancing in a certain direction, looking up, smiling, and more. Each gesture can be mapped to an action like pulling down the notification shade, going back to the previous app, opening the app drawer, or going back to home. Users can customize facial expressions, gesture sizes, cursor speed, and more.

Read more
Have one of these OnePlus phones? You can now download Android 15
OnePlus Open in Emerald Dusk open showing inner display flat.

The wait for Android 15 is over for some owners of some OnePlus devices. With Android 15 Beta 2 expected to launch today, OnePlus is rolling out the Android 15 Beta 1 for owners of the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open. Now, keep in mind that this is still a beta, meaning it’s intended for developers and advanced users, and there are still several known issues and bugs.

The update will roll out globally and needs to be manually installed. We highly recommend following the steps OnePlus has laid out in its forum post and backing up the data on your phone since there is a risk of bricking. To upgrade, you’ll need to be running Android 14.0.0.610 and below; versions above it can’t be upgraded without rolling back.

Read more
Google just announced 10 huge updates for your Android phone
The Home Screen on the Google Pixel 8 Pro.

Google I/O, the annual everything-Google-software fest, has kicked off. As usual, Android takes center stage. From enhanced privacy and Google Wallet upgrades to theft detection and app safety checkups, there’s a lot to look forward to here.

From Android 15 features to more general Android updates, here’s a breakdown of all the major Android announcements from I/O 2024.
Making life easier with Google Wallet

Read more