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News doesn’t have to be overwhelming. While it’s important to stay aware and up-to-date, there is a better way to get your daily news briefing: the Quartz app. Instead of showing you a flood of articles, Quartz is focused on a single screen that looks very similar to any messaging app, except these messages give you bite-sized nuggets of news. With the Quartz app, you can get an overview of the news and choose which subjects you want more details about. Learn more on what this app does and why we love it below.
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Quartz (Free)
What It Does
Quartz is a minimalist app in that there are only three main screens. When you open the app, the main screen is the messages view, which is how news is delivered to you. When you swipe right from the main screen, you enter Settings in the app. When you swipe left from the main screen, you enter the section of the app that has objects you can view in augmented reality (AR). Quartz is designed to be a daily stop. When you open the app, it begins the daily text conversation. Quartz will tell you about a piece of news; you’ll then have two options. The option on the left is usually some combination of emojis; when you select them, Quartz will feed you additional information about that piece of news from various different sources. The other option will say something like, “next” or, “anything else?” When you select that option, Quartz will feed you the next piece of news instead of offering you more information about that same subject.
In this way, you’re able to receive short-and-sweet recaps or go more in-depth with each news message. At the bottom of each message, you’re able to see the source of the information. If you want to view the original article the information was pulled from, you simply tap on that message bubble. In the settings of the app, you can choose which news notifications you want to receive. You can choose to hear about only the Really, really big news, you can sign up for Important and interesting updates, you can get general News updates throughout the day, and even get updates on the global economy. While it’s important we are active in democracy, we all need a break from the news now and again, which is why Quartz even added a Trump snooze button that allows you to block news about POTUS for 24 hours unless something major happens.
Why We Love It
We all want to stay informed and Quartz makes doing so an easy part of your daily routine. I find it less overwhelming to hear about one news story at a time. I get to choose whether or not to learn more about a subject without ignoring it altogether. And I really appreciate how easily I can see the source of the information and view the original article. The app only focuses on recent news, so each day you receive a manageable amount of information. If you think about it, this whole internet thing is still really recent. As a society, we’re still figuring out how to manage the massive amounts of information and news available to us at nearly anytime or place. Quartz is one app that tackles information overload both effectively and strategically. With Quartz, you can easily stay informed and proactive while balancing the many facets of life.
