Support
Need a hand with NewsLives? Most answers are below. If you are still stuck, we reply to every email.
Getting started
- Open the app. The Live tab shows every newsroom broadcasting right now, with live viewer counts. Anything we detect as breaking coverage is pinned to the top.
- Tap a channel to watch full-screen, with sound.
- Filter by country, beat (business, politics, sport, tech, weather) or language.
- Save favorites with the star, and turn on alerts to be notified when a story breaks on a channel you follow.
Troubleshooting
A stream won't play
A few channels block embedded playback. Tap YouTube ↗ on the watch screen to open it directly, or pick another channel that is live.
There's no sound
Playback starts muted so it can begin automatically. Tap the player's volume control to unmute.
I'm not getting breaking alerts
Make sure notifications are enabled for NewsLives in your phone's Settings, and that you have turned on alerts for at least one channel. Alerts fire when a channel starts breaking coverage, not every time it is on air — most news channels broadcast around the clock, so a per-broadcast alert would be constant noise.
Why is a channel showing as offline?
Even a 24/7 channel occasionally drops its stream between feeds or restarts a broadcast. It usually returns within minutes; the app shows when it was last on air.
How is "breaking" decided?
Automatically, from two signals: the broadcaster retitling the stream (“BREAKING”, “Special report”), or its live audience rising far above that channel's own normal level. It is a signal that something is happening, not an editorial judgement by us, and it clears itself once coverage settles.
Your account
An account is optional and only syncs your favorites across devices. To delete it, open You → Delete account in the app; this permanently removes your account and synced favorites. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Common questions
Is NewsLives free?
Yes. It's free, and you don't need an account to watch.
Do you write or edit any of the news?
No. NewsLives is a directory and viewer. Every stream is the broadcaster's own official channel, played through their official player. We don't produce, edit, rank by viewpoint, or endorse any of it.
What devices does it work on?
iOS and Android.
Who makes NewsLives?
It's developed by Dexter Cyberlab, founded by Moses Ughabojor.